Browsing records of Korean art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea opened a digital museum library on Tuesday that offers a comprehensive collection of materials on modern and contemporary Korean art. The two-story library, set up in the Seoul branch of the MMCA, features a collection of research materials including art books, exhibition catalogues, pamphlet files and artists’ books. The Seoul Museum opened in November last year. It is open to citizens, art students, experts and foreigners.The first floo

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014

Magna Carta copy arrives in U.S. for exhibition

HOUSTON (AP) ― It was care fit for a king: The yellowing parchment was fitted inside a custom-designed aluminum and steel case with monitors, then wrapped in specially made packaging. Once it was on the plane, a canon chancellor nervously tracked the flight as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean. That document, a rarely seen copy of the Magna Carta, had never before left England’s shores and only once been outside its home in the Hereford Chapel near the Welsh border. Now, the famous charter, written

CultureFeb. 11, 2014

Jazz festival to feature Haden, Palmieri, other legends

The Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 will take place at Olympic Park, Seoul, on May 17 and 18. (Private Curve)Big names in the world of jazz, as well as several renowned musicians from around the world, will make their way to Seoul this spring.Three-time Grammy winner and jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz piano legend Eddie Palmieri and famous Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice will perform at the Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 to be held at Olympic Park in Seoul on May 17 and 18.Haden, Palmieri and Rice are

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014

Korean pop singer to sing ‘Arirang’ at Italian festival

South Korean pop singer Kim Jang-hoon will sing the famous Korean folk song “Arirang” during one of Italy’s largest cultural festivals to celebrate the March 1 anniversary of the Korean Independence Movement, his management agency said Tuesday.Kim will sing the song together with a traditional Korean percussion ensemble at the main stage in San Marco Plaza, Venice, on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 as a lead performer in the Carnival of Venice, the agency said. He was previously scheduled to sing only on F

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014

Girls’ Generation returns with EP

K-pop group Girls’ Generation will release its fourth EP, titled “Mr.Mr.,” this month, the group’s management agency said Tuesday.It will be the group’s first album since “I Got a Boy,” released in January 2013.Before the official release, the group will upload the title track “Mr.Mr.” on local online music services such as Melon, Naver Music and Genie, SM Entertainment said.On Tuesday, the girls unveiled teaser videos on their official website, YouTube and Facebook.“Girls’ Generation gained glo

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014

Making opera accessible

Seasoned classical singers, musicians and theatrical professionals have teamed up onstage to make a Mozart opera an enjoyable mix of music and laugh-out-loud comedy. “A mission has brought us all here,” said Chang Jae-young, president of Royal Art & Music Korea, as his team rehearsed for the upcoming production of “Cosi fan Tutte” on Sunday afternoon. “That is to make opera more accessible.” And it is no easy undertaking. “Cosi fan Tutte” is the final piece in an opera trilogy written by Mozart

PerformanceFeb. 10, 2014

Memories of a childhood home

For installation artist Koo Hyun-mo, art is a record of memories and scenes that linger in his mind, rather than a portrayal of the present.He recasts his childhood memories and presents slices of them as installations. In his latest exhibition in Seoul, he showcases wooden installation pieces that were created to preserve memories of his childhood home in the old area of Sajik-dong, northern Seoul. Always attached to space, the artist focuses on certain features of his childhood home, such as t

PerformanceFeb. 10, 2014

LaBeouf makes a scene at Berlin Film Festival

BERLIN (AP) ― Actor Shia LaBeouf hit the Berlin Film Festival in memorable style Sunday, first walking out of a press conference for the film “Nymphomaniac Volume I” and then wearing a paper bag over his head at the red carpet premiere. The actor posed for photographers in a stylish tuxedo ― and a paper bag with eyeholes and the words “I am not famous anymore” written across it. LaBeouf has frequently used the statement on his Twitter page, and he was identifiable by a tattoo on his hand. The un

FilmFeb. 10, 2014

Broadway sensation ‘Once’ making first non-English production in Korea

“His music needed one thing. Her.” The concise, yet powerful phrase poetically summarizes the core essence of the on-screen musical production-turned-live Broadway show “Once.” The 2006 independent Irish musical film ― with a next-to-nothing budget and starring professional musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as the leads, despite the fact they had no professional acting background ― was, to say the least, a surprising international success story. Considering the unexpected success of “On

PerformanceFeb. 10, 2014

8 things debt-free people do

Amid growing concern over snowballing debt at home and abroad, it might be useful to note down eight habits that debt-free people commonly share.To live debt free, you might have to shed your current bad habits and take on constructive ones.  Business Insider, the U.S. business and technology news website, offered eight tips to live debt-free. 　　1. They pay attention to details Debt-free people keep close track of personal finances. They monitor how much they earn, how much they save and how muc

PeopleFeb. 10, 2014

New York Philharmonic delivers energetic Seoul concerts

For New York Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert, silence in the audience is not always the same. “There is a difference between a silence that is focused and a silence that is merely dutiful,” Gilbert said in a press conference hours before a concert Thursday in Seoul. “With the Korean audience, I have always sensed an energetic concentration.” And that seemed to be the most accurate description of the mood last week inside the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, where the American conductor l

PerformanceFeb. 9, 2014

Grammy winner John Mayer to put on first concert in Korea

The internationally popular America pop/folk singer John Mayer will be making his way to Seoul on May 6 to put on his first concert performance in Korea since he made his musical debut more than 10 years ago. The upcoming concert event is the 14th installment of the Hyundai Card Culture Project series, which in the past brought acts such as The Killers, Keane, John Legend, Ke$ha, Jason Mraz, Kraftwerk, Mika and Damien Rice.After an appearance at the annual South by Southwest showcase in Austin,

PerformanceFeb. 9, 2014

Beatlemania: A moment in time never to be repeated

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Musical moments that capture the attention of a national audience ― and beyond ― never seem to be in short supply. Last week, Bruno Mars set a ratings record with 115 million people watching his Super Bowl performance. A few months ago, the talk was about Beyonce’s surprise album. And there’s still discussion of That Miley Moment at the MTV Video Music Awards. But moments that spark a musical revolution? A dramatic altering of the pop culture landscape? A true moment for histo

PerformanceFeb. 9, 2014

The making of an exhibition

When Kim Hyon-jeong, associate curator of Korean art at Asian Art Museum ― Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, arrived at the San Francisco institution in the summer of 2010 after four years at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where she had re-launched the Korean galleries, her assignment was already waiting for her.The museum’s director Jay Xu had already decided on holding a Korean exhibition at the largest U.S. museum dedicated exclusively to Asian art and culture after visit

CultureFeb. 9, 2014

'2PM's Taecyeon is a big drinker'

 Actor Lee Seo-jin has revealed that Taecyeon, a member of K-pop idol group 2PM, is an extremely heavy drinker.Lee talked about the singer’s drinking capacity during an interview with the KBS program “Entertainment Weekly,” which aired on Saturday.“We recently had a boozy gathering with actress Kim Hee-seon. And I and Kim were knocked down by Taecyeon, who drinks really well,” Lee said. Lee and Kim are co-starring on the MBC-TV drama “Wonderful Days,” which touches on the values of family, the g

EntertainmentFeb. 9, 2014

Calendar

Exhibitions“Julian Opie”: Kukje Gallery presents a solo exhibition of Julian Opie featuring some of his new works portraying the lifestyles of pedestrians in Seoul. The new works, results of his observations of people walking by on the streets of the capital city, will reveal his signature style of depicting people in color and outlining them prominently in black. The works on display are paintings, sculptures and pieces made using light-emitting diodes. The exhibition runs from Feb. 13 to March

CultureFeb. 7, 2014