Suki Seokyung Kang’s multipart installations are neatly organized so as not to interfere with one another. The space invites people to walk, sit and stand among minimalist installations in soft colors. The Korean contemporary artist is introducing two works at the 58th Venice Biennale’s main exhibition “May You Live in Interesting Times,” curated by Ralph Rugoff. An installation view of Suki Seokyeong Kang’s “Land Sand Strand” at Arsenale (Kukje Gallery)“Land Sand Strand” and “Grandmother Tower,

Arts & Design May 14, 2019

PLAYING WITH LIGHT, SHADOW -- This photo shows an installation view of Chinese artist Wu Guanzhen’s solo exhibition at Seoul Arts Center, which ended Thursday. The latest exhibition in Seoul featured works created by applying lacquer to sheets of ramie, which allows the lights to pass the semi-transparent canvas, leaving shadows on the wall. (Wu Guanzhen Art Studio)

Arts & Design May 12, 2019

The 2019 Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival kicks off Friday with Teatr Biuro Podrozy’s “Macbeth: Who Is That Bloodied Man?”Starting with the Polish theater company’s reinvention of “Macbeth” on Friday, the 18th UMTF will feature some 40 productions from May 10-19, coming to a close with Geoff Sobelle’s “Home.” A scene from Teatr Biuro Podrozy’s “Macbeth: Who Is That Bloodied Man?” (Tomasz Plaskowski)“Macbeth: Who Is That Bloodied Man?” returns to Uijeongbu 10 years after it was first performed at

Performance May 9, 2019

“Fuerza Bruta Wayra” is back in Seoul with a few changes and upgrades after a successful run last year.The 70- to 80-minute show features eye-catching acrobatics, heart-thumping sounds, multicolored lights and projections, as well as wind machines.  A scene titled “Corredor” in “Fuerza Bruta Wayra” (Fuerza Bruta) “Salto” is a new segment in the scene titled “Corredor.” /Fuerza BrutaThe show is all about partying, the production’s team said during a press conference on April 30 at FB Theater, a t

Performance May 8, 2019

The world premiere of Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s “Asylum” will open the 38th International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE) at Arko Arts Theater on May 16.The Israel-based dance company’s most recent work, “Asylum,” which touches on the on-going issues of refugees, immigration, and asylum seekers. Born to a family of Holocaust survivors in 1957, artistic director Rami Be’er has translated his own experience, troubled emotions and identity crisis into a dance.  A scene from “Asylum,“ a ne

Performance May 7, 2019

Hallyu continues to have a positive impact on the economy with related exports rising 9.1 percent in 2018, according to a recent Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange report.The report looked into Hallyu’s direct and indirect impact on the economy, particularly in exports. It estimates that Hallyu exports accounted for $9.48 billion in 2018. Of the total Hallyu exports, cultural contents such as games, music and films accounted for $4.42 billion.In 2018, the total value of Hallyu

Culture May 3, 2019

Constant surveillance has become a reality, not unlike the 1998 film “Truman Show,” in which thousands of hidden cameras track and broadcast every minute of the life of insurance salesman Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), unbeknownst to him.The difference is we are aware of it, but there is no escape. A person living in Korea’s metropolitan area is captured by surveillance cameras every nine seconds while walking down a street. This happens on average 83.1 times a day, according to recent National Hu

Arts & Design May 1, 2019

K-pop music is headed to New York’s Lincoln Center, where it will be performed by an orchestra. An orchestral concert exploring Korean popular music over the past century will be held at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on June 20. According to the Korean Cultural Center in New York on Wednesday, the orchestral pieces will be performed by a 50-piece orchestra composed mainly of students from the Juilliard School. (AP)The upcoming event, titled “K-Factor,” will showcase orchestral versions o

Performance May 1, 2019

Two lovers destined for each other is a popular cliche in the romance genre. The phrase “and they lived happily ever after” is the stock ending.The first-ever theater adaptation of Belgian writer Amelie Nothomb’s novel “Riquet a la houppe” (“Riquet with the Tuft”), a Seoul Arts Center production that runs there through May 19, features a man and a woman destined to meet, but it leaves out the details of their life together.In “Riquet a la houppe,” a 2016 update of 17th-century French writer Char

Performance April 29, 2019

Until high school, An Jae-yong, 26 and principal dancer at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, had never thought of becoming a ballerino.An was a student interested in many things. He liked sports, music, drawing and other activities.  Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s principal dancer An Jae-yong performs in the Jean-Christophe Maillot production of “Cinderella.” (Alice Blangero)He had many dreams. Once, he wanted to be a professional snowboarder, but decided to become a plastic surgeon after watching a doc

Performance April 25, 2019

Detournement is a method of painting in which an artist takes an existing artwork and add elements to create something new. To Danish artist Asger Jorn, a master of the method, however, detournement is also his attitude toward the political, social and cultural circumstances of postwar Europe. By actively overriding existing artworks with bold and exuberant splashes of paint, Jorn has made new creations. In a way, the artist was devaluing the established form of art but also trying to create new

Arts & Design April 22, 2019

The Museum of Modern Art in New York will become a test bed for artists, curators, critics and experts looking to find the museum of the future.“My goal is to finish this project and then to see it as a platform for a whole new level of activity on the part of the museum. Building projects are not an end unto themselves. They are means of beginning a new chapter in the life of the institution,” said MoMa Director Glenn Lowry during an interview with The Korea Herald at Hyundai Card Understage in

Arts & Design April 17, 2019

A decent apartment in Seoul has long been a symbol of middle-class success. Apartment ownership is also a measure by which social strata are divided.Based on Kim Yoon-young’s novel by the same title, “Tracking Down the Steel Container” is a drama that tackles the divide, as well as how people look at poverty -- and at people living in public housing in particular.  A scene from “Tracking Down the Steel Container” (DAC)The drama unfolds in Suseo-dong, Gangnam-gu, a wealthy district at the souther

Performance April 16, 2019

Korea‘s ink-and-wash paintings have faced many challenges in the 20th century, threatened by influence from Japan’s colonial rule and the influx of Western culture.Lee Sang-beom and Byeon Gwan-sik were leading artists, who sought to reinvent Korea’s traditional painting and succeed the master painters of Joseon era such as Gyeomjae, Danwon and Owon. Now they are being featured side by side at Gallery Hyundai, giving visitors an opportunity to view and compare their works. “Forest Covered in Thic

Arts & Design April 14, 2019

You won’t find paintings where you expect them to be at Park Kyung-ryul’s latest solo exhibition “On Evenness.” Some are on the floor, leaning against the walls. You will find them in corners, too. The paintings are surrounded by brightly colored objects that get in the way of visitors. “Visitors to art galleries or museums usually know where they will see the paintings, for instance, at the very center of a white wall. I intentionally placed my paintings at less ex

Arts & Design April 11, 2019