The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways and has also made many people think about the environment, after seeing piles of throwaway face masks and plastic containers from food deliveries. With that, “upcycling” is gaining renewed attention in the fashion scene. Upcycling involves creating new items using old materials or reusing discarded products. Kim Byeol-ri, a 22-year-old college student, recently purchased a denim miniskirt and handbag made from an old pair o

Arts & Design Jan. 7, 2021

Contemporary art master Kim Tschang-yeul died Tuesday at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering Korean abstract art. The artist’s unique “waterdrop paintings” greatly influenced both the Korean and global art scene, harmonizing Korean and Western values. Having lived through turbulent periods in Korean history, he condensed his philosophy and agony into waterdrops, which became his signature art. Kim was born in 1929 in South Pyongan Province, in today‘

Arts & Design Jan. 6, 2021

The pandemic year saw interest in interior design rise as people were forced to spend more time at home. Responding to such interest, PKM Gallery’s first exhibition of the year sheds light on how artworks and home furniture that transcend time and region can be harmonized at home. “Time in Space: The Life Style” held at PKM+, part of the PKM Gallery in central Seoul, showcases around 40 paintings, sculptures, ceramics and pieces of furniture. The exhibition hints at how artw

Arts & Design Jan. 5, 2021

British painter Rose Wylie has brought her bold, expressive brushwork to Korea for the country’s first museum exhibition of her work. Her large-scale paintings have a bright feel to them, often with a childlike look. The 86-year-old artist gained global fame relatively recently. Although she gave up art to raise a family after marrying in her early 20s, she resumed her studies at the age of 45, entering the Royal College of Art in London. She would have to wait even longer for widesp

Arts & Design Jan. 3, 2021

After a year of scrambling to respond to the unexpected pandemic, art institutions are bracing for 2021, a year that is expected to be another challenging one for artists, as well as museums and galleries. Better equipped to deal with the pandemic-wrought havoc after a turbulent year of on-and-off and then on-again exhibitions, major art institutions have announced their lineups for 2021, including two major biennales. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is holding &ld

Arts & Design Dec. 31, 2020

Star lecturer Seol Min-seok said he will leave all programs in which he appears, admitting to plagiarism of his master’s degree thesis written 10 years ago. He holds a master’s degree in history education from Yonsei University. “I sincerely apologize for causing concerns over thesis plagiarism which was reported on news today. I admit I neglected my research and was not sufficiently thorough with noting references and footnotes,” he wrote via Facebook on Tuesday. &ldquo

Television Dec. 30, 2020

Reminiscing on the good times is natural when we face tough times in life. Some get comfort by reminiscing and talking about the good old days, wishing they could turn back time. As such, the retro trend has been rising fast this year, as more people look back as a distraction from the unprecedented challenges in these pandemic times. Lee Ok-young, a 32-year-old housewife, recently purchased some old-fashioned items that remind her of her childhood years, including a table that could be seen a

Culture Dec. 29, 2020

The English-language edition of a biography of Park Seo-bo, a contemporary artist who led the “dansaekhwa” movement of the 1970s, was recently published online as an open-access publication at www.parkseobo.life. Dansaekhwa refers to a style of Korean abstract painting that accompanies a process of repetition and meditation. The original biography, “Park Seo-bo’s Art&Life,” was written in Korean by the artist’s daughter Park Seung-sook, an art therapist,

Arts & Design Dec. 28, 2020

International Youth Fellowship -- an international Christian youth organization -- held a global dance competition “Online Creative Dance Competition” that was streamed live on Saturday on its official YouTube channel under the title “Shall we dance like the stars?” The dance competition aimed to foster hope and offer joy to people amid the pandemic, according to the organization. A total of 30 selected teams from around the world -- 20 teams from Korea and 15 teams fr

Television Dec. 26, 2020

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea kicked off a new online program to introduce Korea’s contemporary artists whose works have been shown at the national museum this year or will be on display next year as part of its efforts to beef up its online content during the pandemic. Titled “MMCA Artist Talk,” the online program -- which aims to introduce a total of 52 artists -- will be released every week through December 2021 on MMCA’s YouTube channel a

Culture Dec. 25, 2020

Kang Eun-mi who lives in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, decorated her living room with a wall Christmas tree for the first time in almost a decade this year. Her two 20-something daughters, who live with her and her husband, typically go out with their friends at Christmas, but this year, they are all staying at home together. “I ordered the kit online to make a wall Christmas tree that comes with lights, which was delivered the next day. Our family selected family photos from old

Culture Dec. 24, 2020

December is a hectic time for those trying to catch up with friends and wrap up the year with colleagues. Bars, restaurants and cafes are typically crowded with people in a festive mood. This year, however, the pandemic has effectively taken away that treasured time of the year. The unexpected surge in infection cases last month in Korea ended up shutting down all restaurants in the capital area after 9 p.m., and people are choosing to stay home. Seeking alternative ways to interact with lov

Culture Dec. 21, 2020

A whole page of a newspaper is turned into a torn, darkened mess at an exhibition dedicated to artist Choi Byung-so, who has played a pivotal role in the South Korean contemporary art scene. 　Arario Gallery in central Seoul is showcasing 15 of Choi’s works through a solo exhibition titled “Sens et Non-sens: Works from 1974-2020.” 　While many abstract painters in Korea were faced with criticism for having turned a blind eye to social issues when Korea was under dictatorships

Arts & Design Dec. 20, 2020

American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer is widely known for her large-scale flashing LED signs that display the artist’s ideas, arguments and sorrows in public spaces. “A great function of the signs is their capacity to move, which I love because it’s so much like the spoken word. You can emphasize, you can roll and pause, which is the kinetic equivalent to inflection in the voice,” the artist once said, according to Kukje Gallery in Seoul. Kukje Gallery, the major c

Arts & Design Dec. 16, 2020

  After all the year-end gatherings were taken off the calendar due to the COVID-19 resurgence, Kim, a 31-year-old office worker based south of Seoul, showed up to work wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Though a hooded sweatshirt might not even count as a minor rebellion for some, for Kim it was the first time she’d gone to work in anything that could be considered less than businesslike. She felt awkward and self-conscious about her casual fashion statement at first, but soon found her

Arts & Design Dec. 15, 2020