Shin found her talent in painting when she was young. “In elementary school, we were forced to write consolatory letters to Japanese soldiers. But I was always told to draw on post cards instead of writing letters,” she said. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, South Koreans had to flee to southern regions like Busan where many artists ended up gathering during the wartime and organized join...

Besides the Korean War, films about other international or civil wars that raise awareness about the human cost of military conflicts will be screened. All movies will be played with subtitles in Korean or English. The screening program runs concurrently with the exhibition “Unflattening” at MMCA Seoul that showcases some 250 works by 50 artists, including some who fought in the war. The exhibit...

Meanwhile, the museum is expanding its online platform with the new webpage “Homework” (artsonje.org/homework), introducing various artists’ thoughts on COVID-19 and their works related to the pandemic. The name of the page suggests how art museums should transform during pandemic times. It also refers to the trend of working from home, a practice of the “new normal” that has surfaced over the pa...

Kim particularly loved blue in different hues; “Whanki Blue” was coined for his love of the color blue. “Kim seemed to have thought blue is the color of Korea, which is surrounded by seas,” Paik said. Kim, who was born in 1913 during the Japanese colonial era and had gone through the Korean War, showed strong affection to his home country and had a compassionate mind. While staying in Paris in t...

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is showcasing the largest-ever exhibition for kids at its Gwacheon venue after reopening on Wednesday. The exhibition, “Driving into the Color,” is held at the circular gallery -- a 2,645 square-meter exhibition hall – and is dedicated exclusively to children. The exhibition consists of “The Exhibition Zone,” “Activity Zone,” and “Learni...

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will unveil its new exhibition “Project Hashtag 2020” at its Seoul venue, starting Friday. This is MMCA Seoul’s first exhibition after it reopens three venues -- Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon -- in the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing. The project, sponsored by Hyundai Motor, aims to pr...

The artists of Reality and Utterance are carrying on their artistic vision -- that artists should stay aware of social issues. Artist Ahn Kyu-chul, a member of Reality and Utterance and a professor at the Korea National University of Arts, said the spirit of minjung art still lives on in his art. His recent work, “Colors of Promises,” was inspired by presidential election posters. The work consi...

South Korea‘s largest-ever exhibition of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat -- the American contemporary artist known for his rebellious style -– will open in October at the Lotte Museum of Art in Songpa district, southeastern Seoul. Titled “Royalty, Heroism and the Streets,” the exhibition will showcase 150 paintings, sculptures and drawings made by Basquiat and run from Oct. 8 to Feb 7, 2021. Basqu...

Titled as “Lee Ungno: The Artist Who Never Stopped,” it introduces the artist’s life story and 400 masterpieces with detailed explanations including explanations of the materials the artist used. Lee made art from any material he could get his hands on, including sand, cotton wool, Hanji (Korean traditional mulberry paper), rice paste and soy sauce. The Lee Ungno Museum, located in Daejeon which...

The 48-year-old artist was internationally recognized with her installation, “The Key in the Hand,” in the Japanese Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. Titled “Between Us,” the exhibition by Gana Art unveiled on Thursday, showcase 41 artworks by the artist. While she is widely known for her woven installation masterpieces, the works at the exhibition include her drawings and sculptures...

A painting album by Jeong Seon (1676-1759), an artist hailed as a Joseon-era master of landscape painting, failed to find a new owner Wednesday at an auction held by K Auction in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The bidding started at 5 billion won ($4.2 million), which itself would have been the highest price for an antique painting. Designated as Treasure No. 1,796, the painting album of Haeak Palg...

Actor Gang Dong-won was not a big fan of zombie flicks until he starred in “Peninsula,” a zombie thriller that hit the theaters Wednesday. While filming the movie, he found himself physically challenged and his thoughts on zombie flicks have changed -- they are actually action movies disguised as horror movies, he said. “Before I filmed ‘Peninsula,’ I was not really interested in zombie movies b...

The National Theater of Korea announced Tuesday it would continue its annual Yeowoorak Festival online as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The state-run theater will live stream a total of six performances of the 2020 Yeowoorak Festival via Naver TV and YouTube without live audiences. The festival which kicks off Thursday will run until July 25. The six performances -- “Master&Master,” “I and M...

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Monday it has selected installation work “The Surface,” designed by stpmj, an architectural practice based in both Seoul and New York, for its MMCA Gwacheon Project 2020. “I hope MMCA’s Gwacheon venue could function as an outdoor shelter for visitors, providing fun and rest during the pandemic times with the installation work,” ...

King Sejong Institute Foundation is offering 15 online courses on Korean culture for foreigners as untact (contactless) learning is gaining ground amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The institute will offer online courses on five themes for the first session starting Monday -- culinary, handicrafts, paintings, dwellings and traditional wedding -- in Korean, English, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese via ...