Fashion designers, textile artists interact at inaugural fashion week at Hongik University

Hongik University, a prestigious art university in South Korea, held its inaugural Hongik Fashion Week with the aim of fostering collaboration among students beyond their degrees and majors in the department of textile art and fashion design. “I am grateful to be able to present fashion week, and I am confident that we can create a new trend by collaborating together regardless of their fields,” said Choi Chul-yong, associate professor of fashion design at the opening ceremony on Wed

Dec. 5, 2022

Kukje Gallery chairperson Lee Hyun-sook among ArtReview’s Power 100

The founder and chairman of Kukje Gallery, Lee Hyun-sook, was listed as one of the top 100 influential figures in the contemporary art scene by ArtReview, a British art magazine, on Thursday. Lee ranked 75th on the list of “2022 Power 100” selected based on an analysis of their recent activities and contribution to the industry. Founding the gallery in 1982, Lee has established Kukje Gallery as a “dominant player” in Seoul, now being touted as a hub for galleries seeking

Dec. 2, 2022

[Herald Interview] Rhee Ki-bong offers the key to open your room of art

Artists reveal what they hold inside -- something deeply hidden in their minds -- through their work. From a distance, Rhee Ki-bong’s landscape paintings appear misty, like dreamy scenery. “Art is to bring out things from one’s unconscious. It is often said ‘to create’ things, but it is -- in fact -- ‘to reveal.’ To reveal is not as easy as it may sound; one may need to have many experiences in life and most of all, a strong will to persevere as an artis

Nov. 30, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kang Ik-joong stresses artist's role of connecting people

“I nearly died from COVID-19 last year,” said the New York-based artist Kang Ik-joong in an interview with The Korea Herald earlier this month. “For about a week, I couldn’t breathe well. Lying down didn’t help, sitting didn’t help,” he said. “So one day, I went out to the garden, opened my chest and began taking deep breaths like this,” he said, pushing his chest forward with his arms up wide open and looking upward. “I was able to bre

Nov. 30, 2022

El Anatsui turns bottle caps into glittering golden tapestry at second show in Seoul

A golden tapestry-like assemblage shimmers on a wall struck by light coming through a large glass window. The 6-meter-tall installation “New World Symphony” is a new work created by acclaimed Ghanaian artist El Anatsui for his second show in Seoul at Barakat Contemporary. It is hard to tell that the shimmering comes from light hitting numerous small bottle caps unless one takes a very close look. Bottle caps have been a significant art medium for the artist since the late 1990s. It i

Nov. 28, 2022

[Weekender] Jeju Biennale shows the island's natural identity

JEJU CITY -- About an hour‘s flight from the South Korean capital of Seoul, Jeju Island is a popular destination for those who want to get away from the grit of the city. The ubiquitous porous basalt, covering more than 90 percent of the island, is evidence that the island was created as a result of volcanic activity. "Dolharubang," or village guardian statues carved out of porous basalt, fresh seafood, mandarin oranges and more than 368 parasitic cones are iconic symbols of t

Nov. 26, 2022

Korean ancient book, women's poetry listed on regional list of UNESCO Memory of the World

A South Korean ancient history book, traditional women's poetry and records of a massive oil spill have been added to the regional list of the UNESCO Memory of the World program. The Cultural Heritage Administration said "Samguk-yusa" (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) and two other candidates from the country were granted the status during a general meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific. The meeting was held in Andong, about 270 kilometers

Nov. 26, 2022

Perrotin Gallery to introduce more Korean artists globally

Perrotin Gallery will present paintings by Korean artist Shim Moon-seup in Hong Kong for the first time in December, as part of efforts to introduce more Korean artists in the global art scene, the contemporary art gallery said. “Perrotin Gallery was the first gallery that introduced Korean contemporary artist Park Seo-bo and Chung Chang-sup in Europe in 2014 and 2015. We will continue presenting Korean artists overseas as a global gallery,” Perrotin said recently. Shim’s sol

Nov. 25, 2022

Best of Korean crafts on show

The best of Korean crafts are on show through Sunday at Changwon Exhibition Convention Center, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. A total of 229 winning handicraft works from this year’s Korea Crafts Competition are displayed at the exhibition, as well as 90 previous winning works. This year, more than 2,012 works were submitted across six categories: wood lacquer, ceramics, metal, textiles, paper and others. Winning the top honor of the presidential award was a tea set by artist Jung

Nov. 24, 2022

German painter Max Beckmann's rare self-portrait to go on the block

One of the few self-portraits by German painter Max Beckmann (1884-1950) will be auctioned by the German auction house Grisebach in Berlin on Dec. 1. The artist, who lived through the two world wars, is known as one of the most influential artists of the time. “Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa” is a self-portrait painted in 1943 and has been privately owned since its creation. Beckmann took refuge in Holland during World War II to flee Nazi Germany and the self-portrait was painted during thi

Nov. 21, 2022

ABCollections makes space for sharing art

Art collectors in South Korea have largely remained reluctant to share their collections as collecting art pieces has long been considered a niche for the wealthy. This reluctance, however, has been gradually changing, especially among younger generations who are willing to share what they collect as well as wanting to learn about others. The newly opened exhibition space ABCollections caters to the increasing number of collectors in the country who would like to show their art collection to o

Nov. 20, 2022

[Feature] Land open to public again after 110 years becomes central Seoul park -- for now

Walking westward from the main gate of the main palace Gyeongbokgung is a large open space filled with flowers and plants. The 37,000-square-meter space in Songhyeon-dong, previously blocked off by high walls on all sides, has been transformed into a park where people can now come and go freely. “Yeorlin Songhyeon,” meaning "open Songhyeon," opened to the public in early October with its autumnal flowers in full bloom. People came to sit on benches and take in the view wi

Nov. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Smithsonian hopes to show Lee Kun-hee collection

With its centennial coming up, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is looking to enhance relationship with Korean art scene amidst the rising popularity of Korean culture in the US and around the world. The museum is home to 46,000 artworks, five times the initial collection donated by its founder Charles Lang Freer in 1923, but a relatively small proportion of these are from Korea. As part of efforts to address this, the art museum -- the first fine art museum to become a Smith

Nov. 13, 2022

British auction house Phillips appoints Suh Min-hee as Seoul regional director

British art auction house Phillips recently appointed Suh Min-hee as the new regional director for the Seoul office, which opened in 2018. Founded in 1796 in London, the auction house focuses on contemporary art and design from the 20th and 21st century, and runs offices in New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong and Seoul. The Seoul office is located in Hannam-dong. The Seoul operation has seen an increase in transactions in recent years with a growing body of new collectors. The Korean market

Nov. 11, 2022

Park Seo-bo first Korean artist to collaborate with Louis Vuitton

  A red painting by Korean contemporary artist Park Seo-bo has been turned into one of Louis Vuitton’s iconic Capucines bags, making Park the first Korean artist to collaborate with the French luxury brand for the Artycapucines collection. Park began the Ecriture series -- also called "Myobop” in Korean -- in the late 1960s working with pencil before creating the color Ecriture series in the 2000s, inspired by a variety of colors found in nature. The red painting, which w

Nov. 10, 2022

ASEAN Week 2022 highlights beauty of traditional textiles

An annual cultural event exploring the histories and cultures of the ASEAN countries is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, following an opening ceremony Wednesday. This year, ASEAN Week 2022, organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center, is held with the theme of “Ancient Futures -- Treasures of ASEAN Fabric” at Cociety, located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Textiles and fabric items from ASEAN member states will be on display at the exhibition, along with introductions to their places of origin as

Nov. 8, 2022

Seoul galleries bring together various works by artists from the world

With international galleries opening in Seoul in recent years, the city has become an art destination where ones can appreciate works by artists from around the world. A number of must-see exhibitions at international galleries that have opened in the city’s affluent neighborhoods -- Cheongdam-dong and Hannam-dong -- are in full swing this week. American contemporary artist Mathew Barney's second solo exhibition in Seoul is currently running at Gladstone Gallery. Known for the restraint

Nov. 8, 2022

Project Hashtag 2022 shows collective works by two young artist groups

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea on Sunday kicked off exhibition "Project Hashtag 2022" which showcases interdisciplinary collaboration among young artists. "Project Hastage 2022," co-hosted by the NMMC and Hyundai Motor, will exhibit the new works of the two winners -- Cyrpton and Lost Air -- selected from106 participants who applied in the open call contest in May. This year's winners' works highlight artworks integrated with virtual spaces.  

Nov. 6, 2022

[Eye Plus] Splendid Dancheong, the beauty of Korean art

In the old days, Koreans were known for revering the color white. They enjoyed wearing white clothes that they thought symbolize peace. But when it came to paintings and crafts, they were all for variety. Cho Sun-hwa, a student of traditional art, is mesmerized by the use of bright, bold colors and patterns found on traditional artifacts. She sees unique beauty in Dancheong -- the traditional Korean decorative coloring on wooden buildings and artifacts for the purpose of style. A fourth-year stu

Nov. 5, 2022

Yang Hae-gue listed as one of world's most important contemporary artists

Korean installation artist Yang Hae-gue was listed as one of the world’s most important contemporary artists in the “Art Compass” ranking. Yang ranked 93rd among living artists, up six places from 99th last year, according to the November issue of the German-based magazine “Capital.” The Kunstkompass, meaning “art compass” in English, has been publishing the annual list of the top 100 artists since 1970. The list analyzes more than 30,000 artists around

Nov. 4, 2022