Portraits of change

The Seoul Photo Festival unveils a rare compilation of portraits of Seoul citizens that date back to 1883 as 2013 marks the 130th year since photography was first introduced in Korea. The photo exhibition that opens this Friday will feature more than 600 portraits showing behind the scenes of major historical and social events in Seoul from the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), rapid economic development (1960-1980) and diverse social aspects of today such as the shi

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Kimchi-making explained in English book

An English book on “kimjang,” the kimchi-making process for the winter, was released on Monday to mark the Korean tradition likely to be designated UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. The 192-page “Kimjang: Making and Sharing Kimchi” explains the origin, history and people behind kimchi, possibly the most popular Korean food. “Kimchi, along with rice, is one of the two things that people in this country cannot live without. It is fine to make

CultureOct. 28, 2013

iPad art gains recognition in new David Hockney exhibit

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Happily hunched over his iPad, Britain’s most celebrated living artist David Hockney is pioneering in the art world again, turning his index finger into a paintbrush that he uses to swipe across a touch screen to create vibrant landscapes, colorful forests and richly layered scenes.“It’s a very new medium,”said Hockney. So new, in fact, he wasn’t sure what he was creating until he began printing his digital images a few years ago. “I was pretty amazed by them actually,” he s

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Crayon Pop to hold first solo concert for free

Crayon Pop, the group that turned jumping up and down into a nationwide craze, will be holding its first solo concert titled “1st POPCON IN SEOUL” at Nuridream Square in Sangam-dong, Seoul, on Wednesday. The event is free and open to the public. Since their debut last year, the ladies had made little to no impact with the release of their first EP album in July featuring singles “Saturday Night” and “Bing Bing.” Months later, Crayon Pop attempted to capture audiences once again by releasing the

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

‘Nine’ slated for American television

“Nine,” a hit television series on cable channel tvN, is set to be remade into an American series led by Fake Empire Productions, known for producing major television series including “Gossip Girl,” “Carrie Diaries” and “The O.C.” Over the years, U.S. production companies have purchased drama formats largely from Europe, but recently companies have been looking all over the world for potential hits. “Homeland” is a drama-thriller series based on the popular Israeli series “Hatufim” and currently

Oct. 28, 2013

Stallone shows off arty side in Russia

ST. PETERSBURG (AFP) ― Art lovers lined up Sunday at the world’s biggest museum of Russian art in Saint Petersburg, where U.S. film star Sylvester Stallone unveiled a retrospective of his abstract paintings.Work by the Hollywood action man won praise from the curators at the State Russian Museum although some critics denounced Stallone for his anti-Russia character “Rambo” and said such art had no place in the venerable institution.Stallone was all smiles as he unveiled the exhibition, entitled

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

[Photo News] Trouble Maker releases new album, music video

K-pop duo Trouble Maker on Monday revealed their new mini album online, along with the music video for its title song “There Is No Tomorrow.”Trouble Maker, consisting of Hyuna from 4minute and Hyunseung from Beast, began online sales of songs from their new album “Chemistry,” which is slated to hit stores Thursday. As of Monday morning, “There Is No Tomorrow” topped major online music charts including Bugs, Naver, Mnet, Soribada and Melon.The music video for the title track, however, was what tr

PerformanceOct. 28, 2013

Lou Reed, iconic punk-poet, dead at 71

Lou Reed, the punk poet of rock ` n' roll who profoundly influenced generations of musicians as leader of the Velvet Underground and remained a vital solo performer for decades after, died Sunday at age 71.Reed died in Southampton, New York, of an ailment related to his recent liver transplant, according to his literary agent, Andrew Wylie, who added that Reed had been in frail health for months. Reed shared a home in Southampton with his wife and fellow musician, Laurie Anderson, whom he marrie

PeopleOct. 28, 2013

Independence activist to become honorary Yonsei graduate

Ahn Chang-ho, a late independence activist, will be honored with a posthumous certificate of graduation from Yonsei University.The award comes 118 years after he entered the forerunner of Yonsei.The school will award Ahn with a certificate of honorary graduation in a ceremony at Yonsei-Samsung Library on the Sinchon campus in Seoul on Nov. 8, a day before his birthday. His grandson, Philip Cuddy, 58, is scheduled to attend the event.Yonsei will also hold a commemorative exhibition for Ahn in a m

PeopleOct. 27, 2013

ASEAN celebrated

The “5th Bravo! ASEAN in Korea 2013” showcased Southeast Asian traditional music and dance, as well as pop music performances, at the Millennium Hall of Konkuk University in Seoul on Saturday.The theme of the fifth installment of “Bravo ASEAN” was “diversity in harmony” to highlight the enormous diversity of ethnicities, language and most of all cultural heritage of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, organizers from the ASEAN-Korea Centre said. The event ha

PeopleOct. 27, 2013

Royal Academy of Music seeks Korean talent

It is widely understood that Korea’s aspiring classical musicians have impeccable technicality but lack a “unique” style of their own. In fact, those in the scene have been striving to find that extra factor that could nurture internationally acclaimed Korean musicians. Perhaps a good example might come from the Royal Academy of Music, a London-based institution of world renown, which trains nearly 700 students from more than 50 countries in over 20 musical disciplines. Since its establishment i

PerformanceOct. 27, 2013

Exhibit gives intimate view of rich and famous

Portraits of Hollywood stars, top fashion models and British royals taken from the unique viewpoint of Peruvian photographer Mario Testino are on view in Seoul as part of the photographer’s Asia tour, following openings in Beijing and Shanghai last year. The exhibition reveals some private moments the photographer got a peek of or shared with some of the world’s most celebrated people. The 86 photos on exhibit are arranged in three sections featuring photographs of celebrities, fashion models an

PerformanceOct. 27, 2013

Gaultier sizzles in New York museum retrospective

NEW YORK (AFP) ― A dazzling retrospective featuring the masterpieces of couture superstar Jean Paul Gaultier opened in New York on Friday, sizzling with wit and oozing sex appeal.The Brooklyn Museum exhibition unites under one roof objects as diverse as the French designer’s childhood teddy bear, a picture of his grandmother and the conical bras he designed for Madonna.Brimming with infectious enthusiasm for life, fashion and the unique magic of New York, Gaultier says he is delighted and humble

Arts & DesignOct. 27, 2013

Commitment flows deep

This is the 12th in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. Translator Ary Kim contributed to this article. ― Ed.Life is certainly hectic for producer and hip-hop artist Deepflow. Since starting his crew, Vismajor, just a few years ago, he has taken on many roles, from manager and CEO, to producer and director.But he says that while difficult, the fact that there is no money involved ― his members must find ways to support themselves ― makes

PerformanceOct. 27, 2013

IU single caught up in plagiarism claims

Netizens have raised allegations of plagiarism on K-pop star IU’s lead track “The Red Shoes” from the artist’s recently released third studio album “Modern Times.” On the new album, IU has attempted to shift gears from her previously cutesy pop style to more mature genres including swing, jazz, bossa nova and Latin pop. Netizens, however, say “The Red Shoes” sounds strikingly similar to German duo Nekta’s “Here’s Us,” an electro-jazz pop track released in 2009. Officials from IU’s agency LOEN re

PerformanceOct. 27, 2013