Following is the second article in a three-part series that explores housing in the post-pandemic era. -- Ed. Although many architects have voiced the need to diversify the residential environment in South Korea, where standardized large-scale apartment complexes are the dominant form of housing, change has been slow as apartments are considered investments. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need for discussions on the residential environment in Korea and has accelerated some chan

Culture April 19, 2021

The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s 17th International Architecture Exhibition will present “Future School,” curated by architect Shin Hae-won, at the national pavilion and virtual platform of “Future School Online.” The upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale will run May 22 to Nov. 21 in Venice, Italy under the theme of “How will we live together?” curated by Lebanese architect and scholar Hashim Sarkis. The Korean Pavilion at this year&rsqu

Arts & Design April 17, 2021

  Art Busan is gearing up for its 10th edition, scheduled to kick off May 13 at the Bexco Exhibition Center in Busan with 110 galleries. Among them are some renowned international galleries, joining for the first time amid rapidly growing interest in the art market in South Korea. Participating galleries from abroad include Neugerriemschneider and Esther Schipper from Berlin, Commonwealth and Council from Los Angeles and Pilar Corrias from London. A total of 4,000 artworks will be on dis

Arts & Design April 16, 2021

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has announced a shortlist of four Korean artists for the Korea Artist Prize 2021 who will be sponsored to produce works for an upcoming exhibition. Bang Jeong-a, Kim Sang-jin, Oh Min and Choi Chan-sook -- were selected by a committee consisting of art experts from Korea and abroad appointed every year for the national museum’s annual award.  The exhibition of the four artists will be unveiled on Oct. 20 at MMCA Seoul title

Arts & Design April 14, 2021

Following is the first article in a three-part series that explores housing in the post-pandemic era. - ed. The pandemic has suspended our everyday life, giving us a chance to think about how we are living. The impact of COVID-19 has permeated in our residential environment more over in the urban environment. South Korea has seen rapid development since the 1960s, but this has led to a monotonous residential environment -- rows and rows of apartments. In Korea, about 6 people out of 10 liv

Arts & Design April 13, 2021

The 10th Busan Annual Market of Art, the largest since the event’s inception in 2012, closed Sunday having attracted a huge number of visitors and a record number of participating galleries.  Also known as BAMA, the art fair kicked off Thursday with 176 galleries from South Korea and abroad and showcased nearly 4,000 artworks -- more than ever before in the fair’s history.  “We are still aggregating the number of visitors but we saw a lot of visitors despite the

Arts & Design April 12, 2021

The virtual Seoul Fashion Week fall-winter 2021 wrapped up last week, bringing together unique designs from 43 fashion brands based in Seoul. Retro style and Korean traditional beauty stood out on the runway.  Rookie design brand SETSETSET invited audiences into a “Sarang bang,” the guestroom in a hanok, a Korean traditional house. Its fall-winter collection featured baggy jeans as well as kitsch and lovely dresses in bright colors. The woman’s fashion brand was launched

Arts & Design April 10, 2021

Artwork by a US graffiti artist that was damaged by two viewers is likely to be restored at the request of the artist, according to one of the organizers of the exhibition it was being shown at. “We received a reply from the artist saying he wants the work to be restored. We will discuss whether to persuade the artist again,” Kang Wook, CEO of Contents Creator of Culture, the co-organizer of the exhibition told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The artwork “Untitled” by Jo

Arts & Design April 6, 2021

The MMCA Art Bank will lend its collections to art institutions across the country, offering cultural experiences to people in different parts of South Korea. The exhibitions will take place at Danwon Art Museum in Gyeonggi Province from April to May, Gangneung Art Center in Gangwon Province from July to August, Smiling Arts Center in Daegu from September to October, and Hadong Art Gallery in South Gyeongsang Province from October to early December. “The MMCA Art Bank’s special e

Arts & Design April 6, 2021

GWANGJU -- Documentary photographic works of a shaman woman removing a bloody ox head mask during a ritual for protecting people from evil and people preparing for a traditional ceremony for their deceased relative are on display at the entrance of the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall. The photographs are by documentary photographer Lee Gap-chul, who depicts the realms of the real and the unseen. The 13th Gwangju Biennale kicked off Thursday for a 39-day run under the theme of “Min

Arts & Design April 5, 2021

GWANGJU -- One big change at the 13th Gwangju Biennale is that the public has access to Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall 1, free of charge. It is now an open space for visitors and ticketing as well as an exhibition hall. “I thought it was inconvenient for visitors to purchase tickets and wait outside so I suggested using Exhibition Hall 1 as a meeting place as well as a place to appreciate the artworks,” said Kim Sun-jung, president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, during

Arts & Design April 5, 2021

GWANGJU -- The 13th Gwangju Biennale was unveiled to the public Thursday with the theme of “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning” in the city of Gwangju, following two delays since last year due to the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The long-anticipated art biennale showcases a broad range of 450 works of art from 69 artists and collectives across 40 countries, including more than 40 commissioned works created for the biennale. “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning” fo

Arts & Design April 2, 2021

A number of masterpieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, including “Massacre in Korea,” will be shown in Seoul for the first time in May at an exhibition marking the 140th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The exhibition “Into the Myth,” running from May 1 to Aug. 29 at the Hangaram Arts Center Museum, will feature some 110 works that Picasso completed from the early 1900s to the 1960s, according to the Vichae Art Museum, the organizer of the exhibition. The e

Arts & Design March 30, 2021

Korean-born and Paris-based installation artist Lee Seul-gi enjoys using metaphors. She explores metaphors in ordinary objects and different languages through installation works and folkcraft often in collaboration with community artisans. Some of her well-known artworks are her Korean “nubi,” or quilt blanket series, that show diagrammatic designs that are whimsically translated into Korean proverbs. Lee, who recently won the Korea Artist Prize 2020, is currently showing “D

Arts & Design March 29, 2021

The 2021 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week offered courage and hope to global audience members as the pandemic continued to present a challenge. South Korea’s largest fashion week, which kicked off March 22 and attracted thousands of views for each runway show, ended Sunday with the noon finale by Berlin-based Korean DJ Peggy Gou, which was prerecorded at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. A total of 43 designer brands showcased their collections at museums alongsid

Arts & Design March 29, 2021