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

Arts & Design June 15, 2021

Curator Shin Hae-won of the Korean Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale has agonized over how to bring people together to discuss climate crisis, diaspora and innovation. Although those themes may seem comparatively less relevant for an architecture exhibition, Shin believes architecture is not just a physical thing but something that reflects our lives and the issues that we currently face. The Korean Pavilion has been turned into “Future School” at the biennale wh

Arts & Design June 14, 2021

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- A large peaceful ground, Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park stands facing the Imjin River, just south of the Demilitarized Zone. Although it sounds like an area of heightened tensions, the park is crowded with visitors, especially on weekends, who come for a picnic and to view the works of art on display. The exhibition “DMZ Art Project: Peace, Again” shows works by 12 artists and collectives that deal with the theme of peace. The works that are scattered throu

Arts & Design June 12, 2021

An exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, reminds people to be playful instead of getting obsessed with the results of their actions in this efficiency-oriented society. The exhibition, “Switch Things Up,” was inspired by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga’s (1872-1945) philosophy of “homo ludens,” which suggests that the desire for play is a defining characteristic of humanity and urges a return to “playf

Arts & Design June 11, 2021

When PKM Gallery showed Cody Choi’s “Database Painting Series 1 - Stolen Data, Tiger #00” at the Art Basel Hong Kong 2021 in March, it was a long-awaited moment for the artist who began “database painting” in 1997. He had to wait a long time for people to pay attention to digital art, he said. “Not many people were interested in digital art until recently when NFT seems to have inspired interest in digital art,” Choi said during an interview with The

Arts & Design June 9, 2021

When it was recently announced that NFT-based artworks by Korean modern art masters -- Kim Whan-ki, Park Soo-keun and Lee Jung-seop -- would go on the block at an online auction, the Korean art industry was bewildered. The families and foundations raised copyright issues, claiming that they owned the original works and had never given the rights for those works to be minted as nonfungible token artworks. Minting refers to the process of tokenizing an asset and once an artwork is minted, it bec

Arts & Design June 9, 2021

Although the prevailing notion is that architecture is about art, the environment has always been at the heart of architect Kim Won’s designs. Kim, 78, pursues environment-friendly values when designing buildings, paying homage to nature and to traditional Korean values. “The concept of environment-friendly tends to be used indiscriminately. But my value lies in conforming to nature. We should make the most of nature, and it is foolish to ignore such a gift. But many architects a

Arts & Design June 5, 2021

The Gwangju Biennale is pushing for the 14th Gwangju Biennale to be held in September 2022 as scheduled and the appointment of a new president for the foundation after Kim Sun-jung, the current president, was accused of misconduct as leader of the organization. The Gwangju Biennale, the largest art biennale in South Korea, typically takes place in September. The most recent biennale was delayed twice to April, however, due to the pandemic. The 13th Gwangju Biennale ran for 39 days directed b

Arts & Design June 2, 2021

When uncertainty looms, some resort to fortunetelling or shamanism to uncover clues about their future. The desire to know what fate has in store has escalated during the pandemic times. The exhibition “Fortune Telling” at the Ilmin Museum of Art in Seoul explores this desire through artworks and interactive performances, offering comfort and fun to people who are exhausted after the prolonged pandemic. A special audio guide recorded by a Korean shaman is offered throughout the fir

Arts & Design May 31, 2021

Video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s well-known video work, “Global Groove” was turned into an NFT-based artwork for the first time and put up for auction online at Christie’s, the global art auction house, Tuesday. The online auction, “Proof of Sovereignty,” runs through June 3 in collaboration with Lady PheOnix, a curator of contemporary digital art. NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, are a unique form of cryptocurrency that is becoming popular when selling digita

Arts & Design May 28, 2021

As cities around the country battle over a proposed museum to house the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, the government said it would reveal details about the plan by mid-June. “The minister is likely to hold a press briefing in Seoul in mid-June to share the progress made so far regarding a new museum or storage place,” an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism told The Korea Herald. “We have formed a task force committee and

Arts & Design May 26, 2021

Korea has recently emerged as an attractive art market on the back of purchasing power of younger collectors, grabbing increasing attention from the world. Globally renowned galleries are opening galleries in Seoul or expanding their presence in the city. Frieze, a major international art fair, recently announced it will hold the first Frieze Seoul next fall, putting the city on the global market map. Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the fair. Pace Gallery, the US-headquartered co

Arts & Design May 25, 2021

A retrospective of Chung Sang-hwa, a renowned Korean contemporary artist who has explored the concept of infinity through his paintings, was unveiled at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The exhibition “Chung Sang Hwa” at MMCA Seoul is a comprehensive exploration of the artist, including recent signature works that feature grid compositions, demonstrating Chung’s own method of “peeling off and filling in.”  “‘To reveal is to value

Arts & Design May 24, 2021

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul launches package for family gatherings Fairmont Ambassador Seoul offers a special promotion for family gatherings. For a special get-together, especially ahead of a wedding, guests can enjoy a small or medium-scale Korean or Western-style course meal at Gallery 7. The traditional Korean meal is paired with traditional liquors, while the Western meal is served with wine. The family package is designed for eight guests and costs 1,385,000 won for the Korean meal and 1

Food May 21, 2021

The golden age of the world’s five most influential magazines has unfolded at the Hyundai Card Storage in Seoul. Walking through the exhibition hall, you may find some interesting facts about the magazines Life, Playboy, Domus, Rolling Stone and the National Geographic. The exhibition “The Issue: Hyundai Card Library Magazine Collection through the Ages” focuses on the five leading magazines, showcasing the inaugural editions along with some 300 notable issues of each publica

Arts & Design May 19, 2021