Peonies in all their fragrant glory explored at National Palace Museum show

A light breeze fills the hall with the scent of peonies. In the background, rain falls and birds chirp. The first part of the National Palace Museum of Korea’s special exhibition “Peonies: Flowers of Peace and Prosperity” brings visitors immediately to this peaceful garden.  “The audience will feel like they are at a resting space inside the palace instead of an exhibition hall. They will enjoy the gentle scent while walking in nature. The exhibition will be ref

July 7, 2021

Ministry plans new building to house Lee Kun-hee collection

   The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is considering two sites in central Seoul to build an exclusive establishment dedicated to late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s personal collection that was donated to the government.　 The grounds of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu and the Songhyeon-dong area near the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, are the two potential sites. The Culture Ministry has been running a separate task force and

July 7, 2021

Korean artist Jun So-jung to join Circa’s project in August

Interdisciplinary artist Jun So-jung has been selected as the first South Korean artist to join a global project showcasing digital artwork. Her newly commissioned work is scheduled to be presented in August. “The details, including the artist’s new work, are still in discussion with Josef O’Connor,” an official from the Barakat Contemporary told The Korea Herald. O’Connor is the founder and artistic director of digital artwork platform Circa. The gallery is the

July 6, 2021

[Feature] Luxury fashion brands’ love of art is talk of the town

When Gucci’s Gaok, the Italian high-end fashion brand’s second flagship store in South Korea, opened in Hannam-dong in late May, the store was the talk of the town not only for its luxury lineup but also the building itself in the posh Seoul neighborhood. The building facade features a nature-inspired artwork titled “Hwan (Illusion)” created by Korean artist Park Seung-mo. The outer walls of the building are fitted with more than 100 panels of overlapping stainless stee

July 6, 2021

Two national museums to show Lee Kun-hee’s collection this month

Two national museums that received the bulk of art donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will hold exhibitions of some of the donated works starting July 21. “We are planning to showcase around 70 artworks among Lee’s collection along with the MMCA. The exhibitions will be held separately at the two museums starting July 21,” said an official from the National Museum of Korea on Sunday. In late April, a total of 1,488 modern and contemporary masterpieces we

July 4, 2021

Screening for Korea’s artistic director for Venice Biennale to start over

The screening for the artistic director of the Korean Pavilion in the upcoming 59th Venice Biennale will start over, after a complaint emerged over an unfair screening process. A complaint alleged a conflict of interest between an applicant and selection committee member, according to the Arts Council Korea, the commissioner of the Korean Pavilion for the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale slated for April 2022. “There was a complaint submitted that one of the&nb

July 2, 2021

Culture Ministry to announce plans for Lee Kun-hee collection Wednesday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is to share plans about the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, and is expected to mention the possibility of opening a new museum. The ministry announced Thursday that details on some 23,000 artworks donated by Lee’s family, will be shared next week at a briefing at the government complex in central Seoul. On April 28, President Moon Jae-in called for coming up with ways to manage the art collection, including the possi

July 1, 2021

Amorepacific Museum of Art shows more of contemporary art collection

The Amorepacific Museum of Art is circling back with a third edition of its collection, returning to contemporary art after a major exhibition of its Asian art from before the modern period. The exhibition “APMA, Chapter Three” is the third exhibition presented by the museum since it has showcased the cosmetics giant Amorepacific Group’s art collection since 2019. Featuring contemporary art, the show presents around 50 artworks by renowned artists from Korea and abroad. In

June 30, 2021

Creativity of their own presented by artists with mental disabilities

While the art market is hectic with rapidly changing trends, and art fairs have broken sales records over the past few months, there is an exhibition that approaches art more intrinsically, shedding light on the act of creativity itself. The exhibition “Shrunken Paper, Expanded World,” at the SeMA, Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, showcases the work of 22 artists who have developmental disabilities or mental disorders. The artists delved into their own inner wo

June 29, 2021

Works from Lee Kun-hee’s collection to be unveiled in Gwangju, Daegu

The art collection of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will be partly unveiled at the Gwangju Museum of Art and Daegu Art Museum, starting Tuesday, offering an opportunity for the general public to appreciate masterpieces by Korean modern artists. The exhibition, titled “A Beautiful Legacy: An Affinity Brought by Lee Kun-hee’s Art Collection” at the Gwangju Museum of Art, will showcase 30 works by renowned modern and contemporary Korean artists along with pieces f

June 28, 2021

Foundry Seoul opens in Seoul’s rising art hub, Hannam-dong

Foundry Seoul, a contemporary art gallery, has opened in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, presenting Berlin-based artist Henning Strassburger and Seoul-based experimental design duo Kanghyuk in its inaugural exhibition. The gallery is housed in the same building as the newly opened Gucci store, the Italian luxury brand’s second flagship store in Korea. The Hannam-dong neighborhood is fast rising as a new art hub with several international galleries opening in the area.  "We ha

June 25, 2021

Seoul stumbles upon the meaning of ‘Our Happy Life’ through urbanscape

“Did you experience happiness during most of the day yesterday?” A video pops up with a self-reflective question the moment you enter a room with yellow fabric curtains at the exhibit‘s entrance. The special documentary clip from global survey firm Gallup shows how measuring the concept of happiness -- an invisible emotion -- has become possible today. “Our Happy Life” is an exhibition initially launched in Montreal by the Canadian Center for Architecture that ope

June 23, 2021

Climate Museum warns against exploitative development

One of the biggest challenges mankind faces today is climate change, which has become a frequently discussed topic globally as more people become aware of humanity’s impact on nature due to the coronavirus and the plastic waste generated from face masks and food containers. The “Climate Museum: Life and Death of Our Home” exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art in Jongno, central Seoul, shows how indiscriminate development has hurt Earth’s ecology through a variety of artwor

June 23, 2021

Bidding at Seoul auction house hits new high since financial crisis

In a sign of growing demand for artworks, a major auction house based in Seoul saw sales from a recent bidding reach a fresh high since the 2008 global financial crisis. Seoul Auction sold artworks worth 24.3 billion won ($21.4 million) in the latest bidding held Tuesday, with 87 percent of the artworks finding new owners during the event, it said Wednesday. The amount is the highest since the 2008 financial crisis and is also higher than the 23 billion won in sales the auction house had estim

June 23, 2021

Korean Eye 2020 arrives in Seoul after showings in St. Petersburg, London

The exhibition “Korean Eye 2020: Creativity and Daydream” has kicked off in Seoul after touring the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia and the Saatchi Gallery in London last year. Twenty-six Korean contemporary artists participating in the exhibition were selected by Dimitri Ozerkov, head of the department of contemporary art at the State Hermitage Museum, Serenella Ciclitira, founder of Parallel Contemporary Art, and Philippa Adams, director of the Saatchi Gallery

June 22, 2021

[Exclusive] MMCA postpones Paik Nam-june festival, once again

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea’s plan to celebrate the legacy of South Korea’s pioneering video artist Paik Nam-june will be canceled again this year, with an exhibition dedicated to Paik unlikely to happen for a second year in a row, according to the museum. Earlier this year, MMCA Director Yun Bum-mo announced a “large-scale festival” would be held to shed light on Paik’s legacy, including an opening the exhibition titled “After t

June 21, 2021

British artist Fiona Banner poses questions on humans’ desire, power

British artist Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press’ first exhibition in Asia is being held at Barakat Contemporary in Seoul, unveiling the artist’s 14 new works comprising paintings, installations and video art. Banner first gained attention in the mid-1990s for her “wordscapes” and “still films,” which explored the relationships of primitive human desire and violence conveyed through traditional nudes, pornography and Hollywood war films relayed as dense verb

June 20, 2021

Aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd asks one’s true-self

Australian artist Daniel Boyd has presented his identity as part of a native tribe of the country, challenging Western hegemony through his convex-dot paintings that ask radical questions of the audience about their identity, roots and true self. The artist’s second solo exhibition, “Treasure Island,” in South Korea is running through Aug. 1 at Kukje Gallery in Seoul, presenting 24 works including a video unveiled for the first time in the country.  "I think there

June 20, 2021

Pandemic-weary seek solace in garden exhibition

Gardening has become a new trend recently as people start to turn their eyes to nature to seek comfort from it. Although gardening is not easy in South Korea as many live in high-rise apartment complexes, many are growing potted flowers and plants at home and take care of them as “pet plants.” Why are we attached to plants and flowers? The exhibition “Gardening” at Piknic in central Seoul explores our psychology behind gardening and how we can interact with the nature.

June 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] Kim Jun-su returns as red-haired Count Dracula

The musical “Dracula: The Musical” has been an all-time hit since it premiered in 2014 with Kim Jun-su, a former lead vocalist of the popular boy band TVXQ and now a veteran musical actor of 10 years, in the leading role. His hair dyed a bright red color again -- Kim’s signature look for his Count Dracula character -- the actor stood on the stage for the musical’s fourth season which kicked off on May 20 at the Blue Square in Seoul. The red-colored hair was intended to

June 15, 2021