A number of galleries in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, an area known for posh shops, fine dining and art galleries, have simultaneously opened new shows, making a weekend stroll in the area a perfect time to check out the galleries' latest shows. If you need to grab a drink while gallery hopping, you can easily find unique cafes in the neighborhood as well. Melancholy yet beautiful at One and J Gallery Korean painter Suh Dong-wook imbues the melancholy we all face in our daily lives w

Arts & Design April 27, 2024

As technology continues to evolve, art also expands its horizon with artists exploring technology-based art. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative launched last year aims to support such pioneering artists. Noam Segal, an LG Electronics associate curator, considers pioneering artists to be those who inspire understandings of how technology shapes and is shaped by society. Segal joined the museum to helm the five-year initiative with Korean conglomer

Arts & Design April 26, 2024

South Korean boy band BTS leader RM will release his second solo album titled, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” on May 24, according to Big Hit Music Friday. RM was involved in the writing of all 11 tracks in the album, which can be preordered at BTS' official store and global music platforms such as Apple music, Spotify and iTunes Store. RM’s second solo album comes 18 months after his first album, "Indigo," which featured a number of photos of Korean art master Yun

Arts & Design April 26, 2024

More than a library Throw yourself into the endless rows of bookshelves filled with various kinds of books. Located in Jung-gu, Seoul, near major transportation hub Seoul Station, Sohn Kee-chung Culture Library is a calm, peaceful library surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park and a walking track. In fact, you might even skip the library and just go for a leisurely stroll there. The library reopened in 2021 after an extensive renovation. The library, now spanning over 771 square meters, has

Culture April 26, 2024

Arts Council Korea announced Thursday an artistic director collective of three curators for the Korean Pavilion at next year’s Venice Biennale. The director collective consists of Chung Da-young, architecture curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; Kim Hee-jung, curator at Seoul Metropolitan Government; and Jung Sung-kyu, director of TACT, an architecture firm. The collective will tackle the theme of “The House of Trees,” joined by architects and

Arts & Design April 25, 2024

It was almost a decade ago that the Kukje Gallery brought dansaekhwa artists to the Venice Biennale, a watershed moment for Korean contemporary art as it came under the global spotlight with the artists garnering international recognition. Lee Hyun-sook, founder of the Kukje Gallery, recalled why she pushed for the exhibition at the time – to present the authenticity of Korean art. The biennale’s collateral exhibition “Dansaekhwa” in 2015 showed works by Park Seo-bo, Chun

Arts & Design April 24, 2024

The Corea Image Communication Institute is holding two contests to foster cultural exchange as part of the Cultural Communication Forum 2024 which convenes in June. The “New Korea Idea” contest takes ideas that offer a different perspective on Korea that could be used to represent Korea. The other contest, “AI Korea Image,” challenges contestants to create images that introduce Korean cultural contents such as food, film, music and tourism using an AI image program. Submi

Arts & Design April 23, 2024

The Culture Ministry will take the lead in combining Korea's major art events slated for September and promoting them nationwide under the "K-Art Festival" umbrella, according to the culture minister on Monday. Culture Minister Yoo In-chon said the ministry will step up its support to foster collaboration between major players in the art world, including the organizers of biennales, museums and commercial art fairs. “(Declaring cooperation) is the first step in forging coll

Culture April 22, 2024

Korean art has come to the forefront at the Venice Biennale 2024 that kicked off Wednesday with a variety of exhibitions featuring Korean artists. The world’s most prominent art exhibition that takes place every two years opened under the theme “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere” at the Giardini and Arsenale venues. The main exhibition of the biennale curated by Adriano Pedrosa includes four Korean artists -- -- Kim Yun-shin, Lee Kang-seung, Chang Woo-soung and Le

Arts & Design April 18, 2024

Pearl Lam Galleries has established its name primarily in Greater China, working with artists from around the world for the past 20 years. The gallery is now embarking on a move to expand its presence to South Korea, which has grabbed global recognition as another art hub in Asia. “Seoul is an important center of not only contemporary culture but also strong traditional tastes and aesthetics,” said Pearl Lam, founder of the gallery, in a recent email interview with The Korea Herald.

Arts & Design April 17, 2024

DOHA, Qatar -- Strolling outside the National Museum of Qatar, pieces of black basalt just outside the museum entrance come into sight -- seemingly rough but polished, the installation looks like artwork and, at the same, like chairs. The installation "Afterimage of the Beginning 2023," collected by the museum, was created by Korean artist Choi Byung-hoon who pioneered his own genre of art, so-called “art furniture,” and has pursued it for the past 30 years. The work was in

Arts & Design April 15, 2024

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s three paintings -- created in the transition from street artist to gallery success -- will be put up for auctions in May at Philips in Hong Kong and New York, and are worth as much as $87 million in total. The paintings have been unprecedentedly shown at auction events. Formerly collected by Francesco Pellizzi and the Pellizzi Family, the paintings will be shown at the auctioneer’s major evening sales in May in the two cities. Pellizzi is co-founder and edito

Arts & Design April 12, 2024

As the sun sets, a group of dancers and percussionists in the Maghreb region in Africa perform around a fire, the dance getting more fierce as the percussion rhythms grow faster and faster. The 10-minute film depicting the scene is played on six screens in a dark room. Viewers will be captivated by the performance, feeling as though they are standing among the dancers. When the camera moves closer to the fire, the whole room seems as though it is on fire. The dancing goes on until the sun rises.

Arts & Design April 11, 2024

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Tuesday four finalists for Korea Artist Prize 2024, the annual artist prize given to a promising Korean artist. The finalists – Kwon Ha-youn, Yang Jung-uk, Yoon Ji-young and Jane Jin Kaisen – will showcase their art at the exhibition from Oct. 25 to March 23, 2025 at MMCA Seoul as part of the award program. Their works will be reviewed by a jury of seven experts from home and abroad who will then announce a winner in

Arts & Design April 9, 2024

Although she may not yet be familiar to audiences in Asia, the late Brazilian artist Lygia Pape (1927-2000) is known as a pioneering contemporary artist in Latin America and one of the leading figures who founded the Neo-Concrete Movement in the region. The Neo-Concrete Movement in 1959 pursued a liberation from static form and a movement toward heightened sensuality through the interaction of objects in real time and space. “(Pape and other Neo-Concrete artists) really continued the explo

Arts & Design April 7, 2024