캐나다_Grouse Mountain 스키장_*

정말정말 오랜만에 올리는 기사가 아닌 포스트 ^-^;

 

캐나다에 다녀왔어요ㅋ

오랜만에 만난 가족이랑 크리스마스를 보내 정말 행복했다는♥

 

이것저것 한 일은 많지만, 다는 올릴 수 없는 관계로_ Grouse Mountain 올려요 ^.^

물론 Whistler 가 세계 4대 스키장인가 그렇다고 하지만-

우리 집에서는 Grouse 가 더 가깝고, 가족들이 회원이었으므로 거기로!ㅋ

 

 

안개 장난아니죠 ㅋㅋ

 

밴쿠버 시내에는 눈이 안와도 여기 산 꼭대기에는 눈이 종종 온대요.

제가 간 날에도 몇 번이나 눈이 왔다가 안왔다가, 바로 한치 앞도 안 보일만큼 안개가 자욱했다가 맑아졌다가... 그랬답니다.

 

아무튼 우리나라 스키장과 다른 점은 일단...다 천연 눈이라는 점 +_+

눈이 완전 폭신하고 얼음도 거의없고 스키타기 딱 좋음 ♥

 

 

그리고 또 하나는...

리프트나 식당에 사람이 아무리 바글바글했더라도

넓디 넓은, 그리고 길고도 긴 슬로프에서는 사람들이 점점이 흩어져 버린다는 점!ㅋ

특히 내가 무서워하는 보더들과 부딪힐 염려가 없어서 good ㅋㅋ

 

(샤샤샥 내려가고 있는 아이는 제 동생입니다 ㅋㅋ)

 

그리고... 뭔가 자연과 도시가 어우러진 느낌?!ㅋ

 

스위스에서 갔던 스키장 (이름을 까먹었어요 ㅠ-ㅠ) 은

광활한 자연속에 퐁당 빠져서 서바이벌하는 느낌이었다면,ㅋㅋ

 

Grouse에서는 밴쿠버 시내가 한눈에 내려다보여서-

쭈욱 내려가다보면 도시 속으로 빨려들어갈 것 같은 느낌이었어요 ㅋㄷ

 

마지막으로 야경사진!

 

 

슬로프 중간쯤에서 찍은건데 -

저의 사진기술이 모자라서 그 느낌을 충분히 못 살린게 너무 슬퍼요ㅠㅠ

죄다 흔들리고 그나마 나은 사진이랍니다 ㅋㄷ

 

 Happy 2010 ^-----^

2009년 미술계 결산

Art industry recovering from bleak year

 

Hit hard by the global economic crisis, the Korean art industry suffered practically all year. To make things even worse, it was hit by scandals.

The biggest was probably the series of allegations that art was used in lobbying by the National Tax Service executives.

Han Sang-ryul, the former NTS chief, stepped down from his post in January in the wake of news reports that his wife may have given an expensive painting, titled "Hakdongmaeul," to the wife of his predecessor Jeon Goon-pyo in January 2007 before Han was named NTS chief. The scandal got bigger as suspicions rose that he might have also lobbied the president's elder brother to retain his post.

Han is currently in the United States, denying all accusations against him. The prosecutors have investigated all the figures related to the case to date, except for Han.

Another scandal involving NTS soon followed. An NTS official named Ahn Won-goo left his post in July after he was accused of forcing companies to buy paintings from Gaain Gallery, which his wife runs, at extremely high prices. The gallery is the same one Jeon's wife consigned to sell "Hakdongmaeul."

Public opinion is that more scandals are bound to rise, as Ahn, currently in prison, is providing information about more NTS corruption.

Meanwhile, a two-year-long dispute over the authenticity of "The Washing Place" ended in April when the court said the painting was in fact done by the late Korean painter Park Soo-keun.

The court also rejected a damages suit filed by an art auction company against a biweekly magazine that had first cast doubt the painting's authenticity, saying such suspicion was part of the role of the media that should be protected by law.

In the Korean antique art market, controversy rose about a Goryeo cheongja or blue porcelain that Gangjin-gun, South Jeolla Province, had bought in October 2007 for 1 billion won. As some complained it was too expensive while others thought it was appropriate, the controversy resulted in a re-evaluation and Gangjin-gun is taking its steps to litigation.

These incidents highlighted a need for establishing a proper valuation and assessment system in the local art industry.

Besides the scandals, several art fairs and blockbuster exhibitions this year left huge scars in the Korean art industry as only few of them were successful.

Although more people visited the events compared to last year, the total sales of most art fairs decreased about 20 to 30 percent. In case of blockbuster exhibitions, several of the companies that organized them even went bankrupt.

The figures announced by the nation's major art companies show how much the market has suffered this year.

Local auctions' total sales in the first half of the year reported about 35.9 billion won, 46 percent lower than the same period last year. Some auction companies even shut down altogether this year.

Art insiders, however, find relief in the fact that the sales in the latter half are much better than that of the same period last year.

For example, K-Auction, one of the largest auction houses in Korea, marked 18.5 billion won in sales this year, which is 40 percent lower than that of last year's 29.5 billion won.

But total sales of its two auctions in the second half was 10.1 billion won, up by 8.4 billion won from the same period last year.

"The auction market really hit bottom in the first half of this year, but is reviving little by little as it is gets near the end of the year," said Lee Sang-kyu, an official of K Auction.

For the art market to revive, the essential part would be talented artists and qualified works that lead the market. In 2009, unfortunately, not many stood out in Korea.

Many design festivals were held throughout the year, such as "Seoul Design Olympic 2009" or "Design Korea 2009," as Seoul was designated the World Design Capital for next year by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.

They did introduce many whimsical designs, but did not achieve their aim of making Seoul chic and many Koreans still find "design" unfamiliar. Opinions are that more efforts should be made next year.

The efforts by national museums this year, however, did bring out some good results.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Korean museums, some 20 national museums throughout the country held extensive events and exhibitions.

The highlight was the exhibition "Yeominhaerak," which means "to share enjoyment with people," held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. It featured many relics rarely shown to the public during the last 100 years.

"Mongyudowondo," a painting of paradise by Joseon dynasty artist Angyeon, was one of them. It currently belongs to Tenri University in Japan, and was borrowed for nine days during the exhibition period. An average of about 10,000 people per day visited the museum during those nine days to see the work.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art also made some historical changes, too, like the appointment of a former IT minister as new director of the National Museum of Korea on February.

Bae Soon-hoon, who was at the time vice president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, was also president of Daewoo Electronics for four years and had never held a job related to art.

It was controversial for such a person to get the post, which had been always dominated by high-profile art figures.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it believed Bae's experience as a CEO would be beneficial, especially since the culture ministry plans to establish a Seoul branch of the museum in the old Defense Security Command site in central Seoul.

And now, actually under Bae's command, the project to establish the museum's Seoul branch is smoothly proceeding.

The Seoul branch, which will open in 2012, will be the museum's third branch, completing the National Museum of Contemporary Art trio along with the existing ones in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province and Deoksugung, central Seoul.

Many say that the art industry's long-cherished wish is finally coming true, as they have always wanted a large and high-tech museum in the heart of Seoul. Some had complained that the Gwacheon branch is too isolated to attract visitors.

The museum recently offered a preview of what kind of museum the former DSC complex in central Seoul would become through the exhibition "Beginning of New Era."

About 60 artists, ranging from veterans to rookies, showcased some 300 original and fun exhibits that made viewers ponder the limits of contemporary art.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

올 겨울, 가볼만한 팝아트 전시들

Pop artists make splash in Seoul

 

Adding to the festive spirit of the season, there are two exhibtions of fun and cheerful pop art underway in Seoul.

Love-themed artwork by five world-renowned pop artists including Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Tom Wesselmann and Roy Lichtenstein are on display at the exhibition "Love and Pop Art" in 63 Sky Art Gallery, situated on the 60th floor of the 63 building in Yeouido.

The exhibition is divided into five sections, one dedicated to each artist.

Indiana's sculptured or painted letters of "love" fill the "Writing Love" division, Warhol's diamond sprinkled works can be found at the "Longing for Love" section and Haring's bold and child-like prints are showcased at the "Drawing Love" section.

Some of Wesselmann's sensual paintings at the "Feeling Love" section are showing in Korea for the first time.

Wesselman, much influenced by French artist Henri Matisse, often painted nudes of his wife, who was a model, with vivid colors.

Lichtenstein's "Telling Love" room with his comic-like paintings is also fun. The artist's paintings are placed on top of a glass floor, which offers a dizzy view which penetrates 60 floors, all the way down to the parking lot on the ground floor.

If one is seeking to see a wide array of pop art at the exhibition, however, he or she will be disappointed as the exhibits are relatively few in number.

But the view of Seoul from the museum and some original experience zones for kids are entertaining enough to spend several hours there.

The other pop art exhibition is at the Seoul Museum of Art featuring works by Andy Warhol.

More than 400 works lent from The Andy Warhol Museum in Pennsylvania are on display in this exhibtion called "Andy Warhol, the Greatest."

Organized in 19 different divisions, the exhibits cover Warhol's lifetime of works from his famous Campbell soup can silk screens to works featuring deaths and portraits of famous figures like Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and Mao Tse-tung.

"This is probably the biggest Andy Warhol retrospective exhibition ever in Asia. It covers all his works from his early days to the last," said Yoo Hee-Young, director of Seoul Museum of Art.

The most notable part of the exhibition is the "Time Capsule, Mirror that reflects the Era of Warhol" section. Visitors can take a peek into the person Warhol instead of the artist Warhol.

Tom Sokolowski, the director of The Andy Warhol Museum, said Warhol as a person was actually a very different from Warhol as an artist.

"Throughout his entire life Warhol had only about five who he could've called friends," said Sokolowski.

"Two months after his memorial service, we found out that Warhol, instead of celebrating on holidays like Christmas with his friends, rather made food for the homeless and donated money. And that he was Catholic, and went to a Catholic mass everyday. Nobody knew this."

Warhol's personal articles like comic books, photos, documents with Warhol's handwritings and even a Warhol mannequin can be found at the time capsule section.

Although the mannequin is a bit cheesy, the wig and clothes on it are all authentic items that Warhol actually used to wear.

"The wig is a symbol of how Warhol liked to cover up. The man used camouflage. Outside, he was Andy Warhol, the great artist, but not many knew who the man was inside. 'If you want to know me, look at my pictures,' he would say," said Sokolowski.

"Love and Pop Art" runs through March 7 at 63 Sky Art Gallery in Yeouido-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 11,000 won for adolescents and 10,000 won for kids. For more information, call (02) 789-5663 or visit www.63.co.kr

"Andy Warhol, the Greatest" runs through April 4 at Seoul Museum of Art in Seosomun-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for adolescents and 8,000 won for kids. For more information, call (02) 548-8690 or visit www.warhol.co.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

이만익 "휴머니즘 예찬" 전시 리뷰

Artist voices humanism through paintings

 

Lee Man-ik poses in front of his work. [Gallery Hyundai]

Veteran Korean painter Lee Man-ik greeted the press in his studio at a recent conference, surrounded by pictures far taller than him.

The 71-year-old artist, although suffering from asthma and a sore ankle, displayed the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old when he talked about his solo exhibition "Homage to Humanism," which is currently underway at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in central Seoul.

The exhibition presents about 60 of Lee's latest works as well as representative ones, which all show off the artist's significant style of bold, simple outlines, vivid, folksy colors and out-of-perspective figures.

Looking around his studio, there were some familiar paintings.

Lee, the former 1988 Seoul Olympic Art Director, painted the posters for the hit musicals "The Last Empress" and "Dancing Shadows."

And it was not difficult to find what his works had in common, other than the significant brushwork: Humanism.

"We can no longer find humanism in paintings. Human beings have been unmasked too much until they became degraded. They show too much murder and too many surgery scenes. Today's contemporary art is not for people's sake but for art's sake. If this continues, the world will become too brutal," said Lee.

"I don't like cruel, nasty or bloody things. I don't draw things dying or getting sick. Some things just should be hidden while good things are shown. That's the role of art," Lee said.

Lee was quite an art prodigy at childhood.

He started painting at age 8 and his work was accepted at "Kuk seon," the old national art competition, in his senior year in middle school. He later won the Special Selection Award three years in a row while he was attending the college of fine arts at Seoul National University.

After teaching in high school for 10 years, he suddenly flew off to France, wanting to become a great artist like the Western masters. Ironically, he returned home as an artist with a very Korean style of painting.

"When I saw the actual masterpieces right in front of my eyes, I found out that each of the artists had their own significant styles. If they turned aside a little bit, people would immediately point out whose style they had copied. The artist would be denoted as an imitator then," Lee said.

After years of painting and erasing, he finally created his own style in 1978. People started to recognize his works without even looking at the signature. The subject was usually Korean people and tales, as Lee figured those are the concepts that he could better express than any other western masters.

During the past 30 years, however, his themes became more diverse - from Jesus and Buddha to characters to novels. Yet they still show a warm regard toward people.

"I know I cannot be a brand new person at this age, but I am trying to at least expand the themes all the while keeping my basic style," Lee said.

A tip to better enjoy Lee's works: Try to guess who the main character might be and search for hidden meanings.

For instance, a young man talking with a lady on a beach in one of his paintings is Jesus. Lee did not have any religious intentions in painting it but just needed a character that could best express the scene in his favorite music, "Stranger on the Shore."

In another painting, a curly haired young man with an agonized look is Hamlet, although he looks Asian. Lee had reflected himself into the character.

"I used to be very good looking when I was young," Lee said, jokingly.

Lee seemed very excited to explain the stories behind his works. After eagerly telling how the box a hoary headed old man - who is supposed to be the character from Lee Yuk-sa's 1946 poem "Gwangya" - is holding in one painting is actually a computer, he even recited a couple of poems that inspired him.

"See, the artist does have intentions and meanings for everything he draws and every color he selects. People hardly stand a couple seconds in front of paintings these days. If only they would stand long enough and ask me the meanings!" he said.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 20 at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 519-0800 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

디자인코리아 2009

Design festival in Incheon this weekend

 

"Design Korea 2009," a large-scale design festival, kicked off on Wednesday at the Songdo ConvensiA in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The festival showcases more than 650 pieces of well-designed products from 19 countries. It also holds 12 separate exhibitions that introduce products with whimsical designs by up and rising Korean artists or eco-friendly designs.

Visitors can try out cool products at three experience zones. Touch screen computers and toy dogs with artificial intelligence greet kids at the "Living +" zone, mp3 players and game consoles can be found at the "Portable +" zone and the latest TV sets and digital frames are at the "Display +" zone.

A free shuttle bus runs from Songdo to Yeongjongdo, which is the location of the Trinale Incheon, a planned design museum and event venue modeled after the Triennale di Milano in the northern tip of Italy.

Trinale Incheon currently holds special exhibitions titled "What is Italian Design?" and "Nature, Art and Science."

The bus runs from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until Monday.

"Design Korea 2009" runs through Tuesday. Tickets are 5,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for students. For more information, call (031) 780-2230 or visit www.designkorea.or.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

한국에 사는 다국적 아티스트들, 경계를 뛰어넘다

Erasing boundaries in Korea through art

 

한국에 사는 다국적 아티스트들, 경계를 뛰어넘다

인터내셔널 아티스트 커뮤니티”와 “서울 아트 콜렉티브”는 한국에 사는 외국인 작가들과 우리나라 작가들의 모임이다. 서로 언어가 통하지 않더라도 미술로 대화하며 전시나 자선활동 등 다양한 활동을 함께한다. 그들은 한국에 이런 다문화 모임이 늘어나는 건 서울이 곧 뉴욕, 파리와 같은 문화의 중심지가 될 수도 있다는 것,” 이라며 “국적, 나이 불문하고 창조적인 마인드만 있으면 누구나 회원이 될 수 있다,”고 말한다.

Defining individuals through conventional standards like nationalities is becoming more and more meaningless in our time.

More than 1.2 million expats are living in Korea today and that, of course, includes those who are artists.

Some of these artists, who have already blurred the border of their "home" countries by settling down in Korea, are set to break more cultural limits.

Richard Beaumont, a British artist who has been living in Korea for 10 years, recently gathered 18 artists from seven different countries to found an International Artists Community.

"Korea is becoming a multicultural society where other cultures are starting to play important roles. This could be a threat and danger of losing one's own identity. But every culture has both positive and negative affects to other cultures. The goal of this community is to bring people from other cultures together and have them appreciate, respect and learn others through creative action called art," Beaumont told The Korea Herald.

The community is based on personal network. Friends introduced friends. Sometimes Beaumont seeks new members by contacting artists whose works he found interesting on the internet, and sometimes artists contact him first.

"The group is open to everyone who is creative, which again means everyone. I would like this group to evolve," Beaumont said.

"My wife's Korean and I had only known Korean people here. I live in the Korean society, not just in an expat bubble. In fact, I never used to speak English in normal speed here until I met some of the artists through this community," he added, laughing.

His wife Jang Oui-loung is also an artist who belongs to the community.

Like Jang, half the members are Koreans. Most speak English but some do not. Beaumont said that it is fine because they can communicate through art.

All of the members, however, are familiar with multicultural societies either by birth or by education and are open-minded to all cultures.

For instance, Loreta Medina, whom Beaumont contacted to invite into the community after seeing her works online, was exposed to multiculturalism from birth, as she was born and raised in the Philippines.

"A great lot of English teachers were practically dumped to our country. The Americanization in our country is very strong, probably the strongest in Asia. Besides, we already had Muslims in the south and Chinese in the north, not to mention the Spanish who soon arrived. We had a hundred languages in our country," Medina said.

She naturally learned how to accept and sometimes refuse unfamiliar cultures all the while respecting them. After spending eight years in Korea, Korean culture was also caught in her radar.

Medina said that she loves half of Korea but does not like the other half.

"I am captivated by Korean calligraphy and oriental paintings. I love the view in Korea, you know, because we don't have snow or fall in Philippines. I am also collecting galbi bones for a future project," she added.

Living in such a multicultural ambience must evoke homesickness for some. The main materials for Medina's works are tree barks, which Filipinos used to use in traditional clothing.

But her super multicultural background could not be hidden, as she admits that she sometimes feels her "Spanish self coming out" when she spots images of veils in tree barks.

International Artists Community is preparing their first exhibition which will open on Dec. 2 at Jay Gallery and Na Gallery in central Seoul.

Including Medina, the artists -- Alexandra Beneteau, Choi Ko-ya, Kang Jea-Uk, Ko Sun-im, Kwon Song-won, Lee Ji-young, Mike Stewart, Rawini Sulaiman, Genn Toffey, Sarah McCauley, Ryan McLay, Roh Young-sun, Seo Hwa-suk, Lee Dong-seok, Olivia White, Jang and Beaumont -- will showcase various works that cannot be limited as a reflection of a single culture. International Artists Community is not the only artist group composed of international and local artists. There are several throughout the country.

Seoul Art Collective, founded in 2006, is another one. Composed of about 20 British, U.S. and Korean artists, it is an artist's community for networking and exchanging ideas.

The SAC does everything from gallery hopping, art critiques, holding exhibitions to even charity events that benefit orphans.

"People don't have to be of any particular nationality to become involved with the SAC. We aren't primarily interested in foreign art but art in general and art that is happening in Korea," said Zach Eichelberger, president of SAC.

If one is wondering if there are any rivalries or competitions among the groups, one is too much into conventional thinking.

The concept of "membership" is very loose in all groups, which may as well be considered as another meaning of blurring borders. Artists freely go in and out of the groups and sometimes even join several.

"I see it (artist groups) as acting as a catalyst for any artist wishing to collaborate on projects with other artists irrespective of nationality, language, social status, gender, age or membership of other groups. Several members of SAC are in fact taking part in this show (Cultures Connect) and I am sure this collaboration will continue in the future," said Beaumont, who is also a member of the SAC.

"To artists, freedom is very important. We like to be all over the place. We like the imagination to be free. When we belong to a rigid structure, we don't like it," added Medina, reminding how even Picasso had participated in several art groups like Cubism and Dada.

SAC is currently holding its 28th exhibition titled "Ism" at The Siuter Art Space in central Seoul. Participating artists include Choi Ko-ya, Courtney Lyn Zach, James Topple, Kim Chang-han, Kwon Sung-won, Laine Alexander, Lenny Correa, Matt Flanagan, Park Jin-seoung, Ryan McLay, Shaun Stamp, Beaumont and Eichelberger. Eichelberger also curated the exhibition.

At this exhibition, SAC took a step further. Rather than simply cross the borders between different cultures, it attempts to cross the borders between the conventional categories in art which are usually categorized with the suffix "ism."

"What 'ism' are we in today? It's hard to tell," said Eichelberger.

"The concept of the show came about by looking at the work of several artists and realizing the link between the works was in large part connected by the past. In some ways, I think art is looking to the past in order to move forward these days. There's a lot of room, or a lot of freedom to make whatever you want, and freedom can be daunting given the scope of what is out there in art, or the world at large."

Eichelberger said he would be very happy if the viewers might think of the last great line in "The Great Gatsby": "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

"But if perhaps they don't, I'd like the message to be that we are blind to the future, but moving on forward, and every flashlight is useless," he said.

Market insiders see the emergence of new foreign and local artist groupings as an innovational change for Korean art market.

"I think it is a very important moment for the Korean society. These kinds of cultures mixing together can create some really interesting, original forms of art. If this continues, Korea could become a cultural center of art like New York or Paris," said Young Jay Lee, director of Jay Gallery.

"Ism" runs through Dec. 13 at The Siuter Art Space in Gugi-dong, central Seoul. For more information, visit www.siuter.com or call (02) 394-2596. To find more about SAC, visit sac.travisleestreet.com

"Cultures Connect" runs from Dec. 2-15 at Jay Gallery and Na Gallery in SK Hub Plaza in Gyeongwun-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2666-4450 or visit www.jaypia.com for Jay Gallery or call (02) 2732-8846 or visit www.na-gallery.com for Na Gallery.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

이이남 작가의 신기한 병풍

Media artist blends classical works, literally

 

A scene from "New-Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" [Hakgojae Gallery]

 

Paintings by French artist Paul Cezanne and Joseon Dynasty artist Gyeomjae Jeongseon slowly blend together before visitors' eyes at Hakgojae Gallery in central Seoul.

Raindrops splatter on the digitalized versions of the works hung side by side. The drops add colors to Jeongseon's painting and bleach Cezanne's, causing each to look like the other.

When the transformation reaches its peak, one would not be able to tell which one used to be which without checking the artists' signatures. Saint Victoire mountain in Cezanne's painting and Namsan in Jeongseon's happened to be surprisingly similar to start with.

The works slowly return to their original selves as snow falls.

This interesting work is by Lee Lee-nam, now a well-known Korean media artist.

Lee, who had actually majored in sculpture, turned to media art in 1997, inspired by some of his animation-major students who attended his clay art class.

"I got to see their animation works between classes and it looked so fun! I had finally found the way to really realize my imaginations. Paintings and sculptures do have their limits," Lee said at a recent press conference.

Excited, Lee embarked on his first series called "The Conversation between Monet & Sochi." The man on a ferry in French artist Jean Claude Monet's painting floats across the frames into the painting by Sochi Heoryeon, a Joseon Dynasty artist. The small island in Sochi's painting moves the other way.

Day turns into night during his ride as it is visible when both paintings grow dark and buildings appear in the back, unexpectedly creating a city nightscape. Morning comes again, and Sochi's painting has a ferry man and Monet's has an island.

Lee first gained fame abroad in the middle of this decade, earning favorable reviews at international art fairs. Foreign art aficionados were fascinated by unfamiliar old Asian paintings that move through advanced IT technologies.

Attention soon grew in Korea, too. Samsung Electronics Co. recently made a pledge to provide Lee with 90 LED TVs every year for the next five years. During the period, some of his works will be loaded in Samsung TVs for sale, so that consumers can enjoy his works at home.

Naturally, fame was followed by imitation. An institute in Korea and some artists from other Asian countries started to emulate his works.

"I was upset at first, but now I don't deal with them. I decided that it would more productive to absorb myself in my next work," Lee said.

His newest works have stronger and more complex narrative structures. Take "New-Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" for example. Like in the original "Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" painting by Jeongseon, the basic plot is that people enjoy the view from the mountain. Only, in Lee's new version, the view is a high-tech city with skyscrapers.

The people, apparently from Joseon Dynasty, look around in awe. A cable car that connects different mountains appears, and curious people hop on it. Some more people at the foot of the mountain seem to have heard the news, as they hurriedly climb up to ride the next cable car.

"I try to erase the border between the past and present. They are actually very close, more than we normally think. They are inseparable," he said.

"For my next project, I am eyeing AMOLED and monitors that bend."

The exhibition runs through Dec. 13 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, visit www.hakgojae.com or call (02) 739-4937.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

Are you sure photos capture true images?

Long before digital editing became common, there were already some photographers who harbored doubts about and challenged the authenticity of photography. At the exhibition "Masks" currently running at the Sungkok Art Museum in central Seoul, viewers can find 100 photos by 48 such photographers from around the world who questioned the perception that "photos are reproductions of reality." Works by renowned photographers like Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Brassai, Cindy Sherman, Koo Bohn-chang and Oh Heinkuhn are on display. "Photographs are never authentic reality. They are simply realities wearing a mask. That is why photos are masks," said curator Alain Sayag, former director of the photography department at Pompidou Center in Paris, at the opening ceremony. With the help from several museums in France including the Pompidou Center, French Cultural Center in Korea and many individual collectors, the show covers the past 100 years of photography that feature masks. The subjects in the photos are either disguised before being photographed, often by masks, or modified afterwards through various methods. For instance, Man Ray photographed Marcel Duchamp disguised as a woman and Valerie Belin took a photo of a model who dressed up as Leonardo Da Vinci. Orlan even went through plastic surgery to turn himself as an experimental subject for his works.

Other than these contemporary photos, some tiny vintage photos from 100 years ago also show reality-look-alikes that are actually ambiguous and fake.

Organized by Sungkok Art Museum and Dong-gang Museum of Photography in Gangwon Province, this show was first held under the same title at the Gangwon museum last summer.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 31 at Sungkok Art Museum in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Tickets are 5,000 won for adults, 4,000 won for adolescents and kids.

For more information, visit www.sungkokmuseum.com or call (02) 737-7650.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

대한민국 최대 미술컬렉터의 컬렉션 공개

Kim Chang-il unveils his collection

 

Arario Gallery is showcasing its collections under the title "Arario's Finest" to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The show is notable because the gallery's collections are in fact those of gallery president Kim Chang-il who is considered one of the world's top 100 collectors. Kim is the first Korean ever to make the list of the world's 100 top collectors, as selected by British magazine Art Review. He is also an artist himself who goes by the name "Ci Kim," although his work is not as well known as his collections. This show stages about 35 pieces from Kim's collections by world-renowned artists like Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Keith Haring, Marc Quinn, Neo Rauch and Tracey Emin. Of the two Arario Galleries in Korea - one in Cheonan and one in Seoul - the main venue this time is the Cheonan Gallery. The Cheonan gallery is one of the biggest private galleries in Korea. The exhibition in Cheonan starts outdoors, where the park between Arario Gallery and Galleria Department Store is filled with interesting sculptures. A man and woman climb up giant ladders that lean against the buildings around the park. A hot pink Tyrannosaurus is crushing a hot pink car in one corner, a giant monkey ranch is clipping the end of a rolled-up wire in another, and an anatomy model of a human body that stands three stories high, by Hirst, stands at the entrance of the gallery. This unfamiliar scene with all sorts of sculptures clustered together is enough to stop passers-by. More masterpieces are inside, like "Fastest Gun in the West" by Sigmar Polke on the first floor. The Polish artist put in all his methods and efforts into the work, Kim explained. Tate Modern Museum in London once borrowed it for an exhibition. "When it comes to contemporary art, there is no time to hesitate. They'll be gone if you are not quick enough. A great lot of eyes were on this painting too, but I got it first. People say I am really quick when it comes to auctions. Yup, I was the 'fastest gun' there," Kim said with a chuckle. "Self" by Marc Quinn would be the not-to-be-missed work on the second floor. It is a model of the artist's head filled with nine pints of his actual frozen blood. As shocking as it is, the bloody head, first made in 1991, soon became a world-renowned work. There are currently four editions of it in the world: the first version is in the hands of Steve Cohen, a hedge fund billionaire in New York, the 1996 version is in Dallas Museum of Art, the 2001 version is in Arario Gallery in Korea, and the latest version in National Portrait Gallery in London. Quinn collects four liters of his own blood during a four to five months period every five years. The sculpture's face, which is fixed in a silicon-filled-box, gets older in each version as the artist ages. The box has to be kept under minus 10 degrees Celcius in order to prevent the blood from melting. "Yes, it is extremely difficult to maintain this one, but you need be ready for that much effort for contemporary art," Kim said. The collector shared some more of his tips for choosing good and investment-worthy artworks, although he admitted that 90 percent of his judgements were done by his instincts. "You need to pay attention to the details. Although they are done by the same artist, their prices can differ depending on whether they include the artists' signature objects or colors or not. Well-known galleries usually have the good ones, so it is important to visit them often," he added. Some of Kim's best collections, however, are still unveiled. Kim promised there will be a time to show everything he has, probably sometime next year. The exhibition runs through Jan. 10 at Arario Gallery Seoul in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul and Jan. 24 at Arario Gallery Cheonan in Cheonan cityi, South Chungcheong Province. For more information, call (02) 723-6190, (041) 551-5100 or visit www.arariogallery.com (claire@heraldm.com) By Park Min-young

마틴크리드 전시 리뷰

British artist gets philosophical

 

Often it takes more than just artistic skill to become a world-renowned artist. After talking with Martin Creed, you might wonder if an artist needs to be philosophical as well. The Briton is a leading conceptual artist. A little younger than the Young British Artists, the 41-year-old's works range from sculptures, paintings, and installations to neon lights, sounds and films. Some Koreans might recognize his work from the "Platform Seoul" exhibition last year, in which he filled a room in Gallery Sun Contemporary with purple balloons, leading excited visitors to wade around the room gleefully. Currently, his most famous and recent works are showing at his first-ever solo exhibition in Korea at Artsonje Center in central Seoul. The 2001 Turner Prize winning artist, however, said that he doesn't really know what appeals to people. "The world is a big crazy place, it's impossible to understand everything. I work for me, so I try to make something I find exciting and beautiful. All works are sort of an experiment to find if it can make our life better and exciting. My way of finding out if my work works for the public is going out in public," said Creed at a recent press conference. So he opens his works to the public, and although he is one of the most famous artists today, not all of his works get the best responses. But they do arouse some interesting debates. An example is the ball of paper he had crumpled and showcased in the middle of one of Artsonje Center's rooms as if it was an autographed baseball. What exactly is the difference between Creed's crumpled piece of paper and the ones by the rest of the world? "There is no difference," he said, coolly. "Like there is no difference between you talking, journalists writing stories or me making my paintings. Everyone's creating something all the time." So why does his become a precious artwork while the rest are just garbage? "I don't know exactly what it means, 'art.' I like putting things on exhibitions, and because that is what artists do, only in that sense I can be called an artist." Most works, though, do not make viewers complain of injustice, but instead, make them admit Creed's keen artistic and even philosophical sensibility. Take his performance "Work No. 673," which was performed on the opening day. Orchestra members were lined up in front of the conductor, and they played a simple piece of music composed by Creed. "There is always a hierarchy in an orchestra. But I think the triangle is just as important as the violin. So the point was to make a piece which every instrument is equal," he said. Similar reasons were applied in a work that features lined-up cactuses, and in his latest work, which shows all the basic ballet positions. He said that he liked all cactuses, regardless of their size, and all ballet positions. Another aim for the orchestra work was to make it able to "see the music." "In concerts you can't really see where the music is coming from. So another idea was to make music visible," he said. A final tip to those who will visit the show: do not bother to peer into the captions beside the exhibits, because most of the works do not have a title. They are simply numbered, randomly. Creed did not want to interfere too much between the works and the viewers by naming the pieces. "The works are just a thing to look at. Ideas are in people, not in works," he said. The exhibition runs through Feb. 12 at Artsonje Center in Hwa-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 3,000 won for adults and 1,500 won for students. For more information, call (02) 733-8945 or visit www.artsonje.org (claire@heraldm.com) By Park Min-young

루저 논란 기사

'Loser' girl in hot water

 

A college student is in hot water as her televised statement that "short men are losers" is spreading all over the internet community and has even triggered a lawsuit.

Lee Do-kyung, a Hongik University student, appeared on a popular KBS TV show "Misuda," or "Chatting with Beauties" on Monday and said, "I don't like short men. Height is competitiveness these days, and I think short men are losers. Men should at least be 180 cm tall."

Hurt and angry, Korean internet users began to criticize her online immediately, and decided to take another step: "googling" her.

Before noon the next day, all her personal information including her homepage address, graduation photos, and her frequently used internet ID were posted on numerous websites.

Internet users tracked down the trails of her internet ID. Her past activities online such as the questions she posted on her university's website about scholarships, the ones she posted on luxury brand shopping websites and plastic surgery websites were all quickly disclosed.

Internet users made a caricature of her words by creating parodied photos. For instance, "Who is Lee Do-kyung?" is written on top of a poster of the movie "The Lord of the Rings" where hobbits pose holding swords, and also on top of a portrait of Napoleon.

Some even wrote that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who happens to be short, got furious about Lee's "loser" statement and ordered Tuesdays' naval clash between the two Koreas.

New words appeared as well, such as "Tom Closer," "Loserleon," or "Wayne Loser," each referring to Tom Cruise, Napoleon and Wayne Rooney, celebrities or historical figures who are shorter than 180 cm.

Later on the same day, Lee's every action started to be broadcast live over the internet. Students at her university seemed to be keeping a close eye on her as websites were flooded with anonymous eye witness accounts on Lee. Anonymous rumors about her and even comments about the situation from some self-claimed friends of hers quickly spread online.

In the latest development, Lee apologized on her school website yesterday as did "Misuda" producers, who said that the statement was not meant to hurt and asked the public to stop a "witch hunt" on Lee. On the other hand, a man in his 30s filed a complaint with the Press Arbitration Commission against KBS and is asking for 10 million won in compensation for "mental distress" caused from the "loser" statement. The man is reportedly 162 centimeters tall. Many internet users, meanwhile, have also started to reflect on their behavior, saying that they do not have the right to carry out surveillance on other people, and that they should stop.

"Internet users themselves are feeling burdened as the situation becomes uncontrollable," said Jeong Hyun-min, a researcher at the National Information Society Agency.

Meanwhile, a weird consequence of her comments is that some celebrities were suddenly praised on the internet for their past comments about men's height. Attention is especially focused on Hyun-ah, a member of the girl group "Four Minute," whose recent appearance on a radio show where she talked about her ideal boyfriend is spreading online.

"I hope he is shorter than 173 cm. About 170 cm would be great," she said.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

한국공예작가들 미 최대 공예페어 초청전시

U.S. craft show features Korean artists

 

Korean craft works are set to captivate the United States.

Twenty-six Korean craft artists will be showcasing their works at the 33rd Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show which runs for five days starting today at The Pennsylvania Convention Center.

It is one of the three biggest craft shows in the Untied States, along with the Smithsonian Craft Show and The International Expositions of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art. The trading volume at the Philadelphia craft show alone is approximately $3.5 million, while the size of the U.S. craft market is around $14 billion.

Like the other two shows, only U.S. citizens could participate in the Philadelphia show. But from 2001, the show decided to select guest countries and invite their artists to learn about their crafts and exchange cultures.

Korea is the seventh country that has been invited so far, following Japan, England, Northern Ireland, Germany, Finland and Canada.

"The point is that the biggest craft show in the U.S.A. focused on Korean crafts this time. Our foundation supported the cost for the booths and transportation, because we know that this show will greatly affect the possibility of whether Korean craft artists can advance into the U.S. market or not. This is not only an opportunity for the individual artists but also a great chance to promote Korean crafts as a whole," said Sung Moon-mo, president of Korean Craft Promotion Foundation.

The foundation received applications from 300 artists who wanted to participate in the show and sent the list to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The museum selected the final 26. Some representative artists were left out and some up and coming artists were included through the process, according to the foundation.

The invited artists are Jeon Seong-im for baskets, Go Hee-suk, Kim Mun-gyeong, Kim Ji-hye, Kim Hye-jeong, Yun Ju-cheol, Lee Gi-jo and Lee In-jin for ceramics, Kim Min-ja, Lim Hye-suk, Jang Yeon-sun and Choi Ji-yun for fiber, Park Seong-won and Heo Hye-wuk for glass, Kim Bong-hee, Kim Yu-ra, Mun Chun-seon, Sim Hyeon-seok, Lee Seung-jin and Lee Jeong-gyu for jewelry, Kang Wung-gi and Park Seong-cheol for metal, Jeon Chang-ho for mixed media, Jeong hae-jo for ottchil, Jang Seong-wu for paper and Jo Seok-jin for wood.

The show is strictly commercial, so the selected artists will stay at their booths during the show and take care of the sales themselves.

Curators, collectors and gallery owners from all around the world will be visiting to browse through the works and learn about them straight from the artists.

"It will be a great opportunity to meet buyers who can help artists settle in the U.S. market," said Jo Hi-suk, General Manager of the foundation's industrial promotion division. The foundation also educated the artists on marketing skills for this occasion.

"We got the chance to participate at this competitive show because Korea is the guest country, but nothing is guaranteed for us next year. We will be evaluated purely on our works this time, so I am hoping for good results," said Park Seong-won, a participating artist and professor at Korea National University of Arts. His work "Mask 2" was printed on the cover of the show's pamphlet.

"There are not many shows or fairs like the Philadelphia Craft Show in Korea where craft artists can introduce their works to the public. There should be more, to reinvigorate Korean craft market," he added.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

재외한국청년미술제 U.S.B.

Works by artists between cultures

 

You Sun, a Korean artist who currently lives and works in New York, often receives some unintended responses from Americans when she holds exhibitions there.

"No matter what kind of work I show, some simply understand it as a work of 'Korean style.' I usually make my works using colorful vinyl, and some critics said that the pink and light green colors of the vinyl remind them of hanbok. I had never realized that before," You told The Korea Herald.

Including You, 24 young up-and-coming Korean artists who have had similar experiences are showcasing their works at the exhibition "Emerging Korean Artists in the World 2009 - U.S.B" at Seoul Arts Center.

The artists are overseas ethnic Koreans from eight different countries including Germany, Argentina and Japan. Although they have Korean nationality, they are better known in their resident countries and they say that Korea is unfamiliar.

So for them, it is ironic that their unintended nationality provides so much bias to the viewers. The irony continues in Korea, as here, they are once again treated as aliens who are somewhere in between Koreans and foreigners.

It was obvious at the recent press conference, as the press kept on asking, "so does the work reflect Korean sentiments or cultures or not?"

"What exactly is Koreanness? Now is time to compete with art itself and the artist themselves, not with countries," said curator Gu Jeong-won.

As well as meaning memory stick, as a metaphor for the artists who easily travel around the world, "U.S.B" in the title of the exhibition stands for "Urban Nomadism," "Species of Singularity," and "Becoming Gestalt."

With or without any stereotypes concerning the artists' nationalities or current country of residence, however, the 100 exhibits are simply fun, original and sometimes a bit peculiar.

For example, Lee Wonho, who resides in Germany, photographed himself posed in an inverted V-shaped prone position - head and feet rested on books with arms folded on his back. Named "Eolcharyeo," the position is actually used in the Korean military for punishment. Lee said the purpose of the picture was to express how hard it is for an artist to survive in the competitive art market.

Hwang Eunok, resident of France, decided to give a sneak peek of Parisian life, as if in a reality program. In her video "#8 Wrapping bodies project," Hwang and her friends each hid inside black vinyl bags, scattered themselves in the middle of a street in Paris and communicated with curious Parisians.

Other than the interesting status of the artists or the originality of the works, another factor of the exhibition that could attract visitors is that it received the most-ever financial support for a single exhibition - 300 million won ($255,000) - from the government. It is the third most including the Gwangju and Busan Biennales.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 6 at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Admission is 2,000 won for adults and 1,000 won for students and adolescents. For more information, call (02) 580-1300 or visit www.sac.or.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

기무사터에 생길 국립현대미술관이 궁금하다면!

Get sneak preview of Kimusa exhibits

 

 

Imagine walking in a room with a book in your hand, after which soon images and sounds related to the book splash into the room.

This scenario, reminiscent of a scene one might have seen in an animated film, comes true through Kim Ae-ran's work "The Sublime - The Space of Heteropia" at the exhibition "Beginning of New Era" currently running at the former Defense Security Command complex in central Seoul.

To make it happen, Kim installed special sensors in her neon-flashy books and in a room.

Other than Kim's work, about 60 artists, ranging from veterans to rookies, are showcasing some 300 original and fun exhibits at the show that makes viewers once again ponder the limits of contemporary art.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, which is hosting of the exhibition, says that these exhibits are previews of what kind of art museum the complex will become in 2012.

It will be the museum's third branch, completing the National Museum of Contemporary Art trio, also including the existing ones in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province and Deoksugung, central Seoul.

Nicknamed Kimusa - an abbreviation of the command's Korean name - the complex has hosted several exhibitions this year, including "Platform in Kimusa 2009."

But museum officials promise this one is completely different.

"If 'Platform' was to brush off Kimusa's past, this exhibition is to promote the forgotten space and show what a fun and exciting place the new museum will be," said museum curator Gi Hye-gyeong.

Once the trio is formed, each will take a different role.

The new museum, as it will probably be fully equipped with the latest equipment, will primarily host exhibitions on new media art combined with modern technologies. The Gwacheon museum will likely focus on its existing collections while the Deoksugung museum, as it takes place inside an old palace, will hold exhibitions that focus on traditional genres of modern and contemporary art.

Will the upcoming museum really be worth waiting for? Yes, if it really turns out to be as creative as its current exhibits.

For instance, installation artist Jeon Su-cheon has reproduced a telephone operating room whose main purpose was allegedly to bug institutions, armies and the media. Hundreds of mixed voices coming out of the operating machine make visitors prick up their ears.

Choi Woo-ram has filled a hallway with hundreds of yellow lamps hanging from its ceiling, making it look like a scene from the Harry Potter movie series.

The spider-formed lamps, called "Pendulum of Secret," are supposed to be "machine organisms" that live on secrets. Choi referred to how the former Kimusa used to be packed with state secrets.

Park Byung-chun created a miniature land in his room with 3,000 crushed ramen noodles and Im Taek created his on visitors' eye level by making a narrow hole on the wall with cotton and salt.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 6 at the former DSC complex in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, visit seoul.moca.go.kr or call (02) 2188-6000.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

한국박물관 100주년

Korean museums celebrate centennial

 

Changgyeonggung Yanghwadang, a former building of Korea`s National Museum, which was used from 1908 to 1939

Tomorrow marks the centennial anniversary for what most consider the birth of modern Korean museums.

"Jesil Bakmulgwan," or Imperial Museum, is considered Korea's first modern museum. It was established on Nov. 1, 1908 at Changgyeonggung, but was only open to the royal family and some aristocrats.

Nov. 1, 1909 - when the Imperial Museum was opened to the public for the first time at the order of Sunjong (1874-1910), Korea's last emperor - is the day Koreans count as the first day of the country's museum history. Sunjong had hoped to share the cultural assets with the people.

"We easily say the word 'century,' but for Korea, the past century was cut off here and there. Only our cultural assets held their original identities through that time, regardless of political changes. Everything westernized, except for the museum. It is where our people keep our memories," said Lee O-young, chairman of the Commemoration Promotion Committee at a recent press conference.

In the case of most of Korea's museums, most of the memories are probably painful, especially during the Japanese invasion.

In 1911, the Imperial Museum was degraded to "Lee Wang-ga Museum" by the Japanese. Instead, the Japanese opened a museum in the Japanese Joseon government, along with its branches in Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province, and used it as a part of their colonial policy.

After the country regained its independence in 1945, however, the museum started to get back on track. Koreans turned the former Japanese museum into a National Museum. As much meaning as the year has, 1909 was also memorable in Korea's museum history.

The country's main museum could finally be run by its people again.

The National Museum had continued to suffer since then, shifting to different places during the Korean War, but it matured during these tough times.

One by one, more museums were established outside the capital. With the help of many companies and collectors, more artifacts were donated to the museums and researchers at the museums and universities started research and discovery work.

"We worked hard to increase the number of museums, and now there are about 600 nationwide. By 2010, hopefully there will be 800," said Lee, who is a former minister of culture, sports and tourism.

As well as increasing the number of the museums, officials have been putting in extra efforts to turn them into favored places for youth and family outings.

For instance, all national museums have designated the fourth Saturday of every month as "the day to visit a museum." They have also been hosting performances and concerts since last December.

Another innovative event tries to reward people for visiting as many museums as possible. It's called "Visit 100 museums with your family" and has been running from last January and ends this December. Collect 100 tickets from the museums you have visited, and the National Museum of Korea will give out prizes.

To make museums more friendly for students, the museum is busy reorganizing artifacts in the order they are introduced in history textbooks.

In July, the Unified Silla and Balhae rooms were expanded and Goryeo room was newly created. The Old Joseon room will be set up by Monday, completing rooms that cover the country's history from the prehistoric age to Joseon Dynasty.

What made these changes possible were donations.

As the museum reorganized the rules of honoring donators and started distributing their name plates and cards in March, the number of donated relics increased from 50 to 230, marking a 450 percent increase this year compared to the same period last year.

As a result of these efforts and help from some blockbuster exhibitions, the number of visitors to the National Museum of Korea increased 24.5 percent this year as of August compared to the same period last year, to 1.89 million people. The number of visitors to regional museums also increased about 17 percent.

Furthermore, the country's national museums are gearing up for another big leap in the near future.

"National Museum of Korea, which was an effort to show the legitimacy of the nation in the 20th century, is getting ready to stabilize itself as the symbol of the country in the 21st century. We are planning to establish a museum complex in Yongsan by 2014. It will become a Korean landmark that introduces Korean culture to the world," said Choe Kwang-shik, director of the National Museum of Korea.

Events and exhibitions

The Korean Museum Association has hosted many commemorative exhibitions and events this year at some 20 national museums throughout the country. Here are some that are underway or scheduled at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.

A small pavilion named "Cheongjajeong," which is newly built above Geowul pond inside the museum to celebrate the centennial anniversary, will be unveiled to the public tomorrow.

The notable part about the pavilion is that Cheongja, or blue porcelain, is covered on its roof like some used to be in Goryeo Dynasty. Officials hope it will become a symbol of the museum like the glass pyramid is for the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Also tomorrow, a commemorative concert by 100 vocalists will take place at the museum at 7 p.m.

The official ceremony to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Korean Museum will take place on Monday, at Changgyeonggung. It will be in a traditional ritual form. Men of merit who contributed in the development of Korean museums will be awarded at the ceremony.

An international conference is planned on Tuesday at the National Museum of Korea. Ten museum directors from all over the world including the director of Freer Sackler Gallery in the Smithsonian Museum in New York and the director of Tokyo National Museum will discuss strategies and visions for world museums in the 21st century.

A book on the centennial history of Korean museums, meanwhile, will be published on Dec. 30.

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul is hosting a special exhibition "Yeominhaerak," which means "to share enjoyment with people," that will showcase many relics that have rarely been open to public during the last 100 years.

The highlight would be "Mongyudowondo," a painting of a paradise by Joseon dynasty artist Angyeon. It runs through Nov. 8.

Other special exhibitions, "The Life and Paintings of Jeong Seon," and "Scenes of Banquets and Ceremonies of the Joseon Period" are also underway at the museum.

The exhibition "The Life and Paintings of Jeong Seon" commemorates the 250th anniversary of the legendary Joseon Dynasty artist's death. It showcases more than 140 pieces of Jeong's work. It runs through Nov. 22.

At the exhibition "Scenes of Banquets and Ceremonies of the Joseon Period," visitors can learn how people of the Joseon Dynasty celebrated and partied. The paintings depict a wide range of events from familial parties of the commoners to royal banquets. It runs through Dec. 6.

To visit the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, get off at Ichon Station, subway line No. 4, and go to exit No. 2. Visit www.museum.go.kr for more information.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

Museum hopping gets more exciting

[Rediscover Korea _15]

Museum hopping gets more exciting

 

Seongkok Art Museum in Jongno [Seongkok Art Museum]

There were days when art in Korea was only found within the concrete walls of high-profile museums.

Except for artists or art students, the primary visitors used to be families, who would visit museums about twice a year for the kids' vacation assignments.

During the past few years, however, the situation has changed.

Museum hopping has become more familiar and convenient than before, even becoming one of the number one choices for dates or family picnics.

Galleries, national museums and artists are making various changes to be loved by the public. If museums were for artists in the past, now they are turning into places for visitors.

Better yet, the Korean art market is slowly recovering from the global economic crisis, resulting in higher earnings in autumn auctions. Market insiders are cautiously hoping for another "Year 2007," a reference to the most prosperous year in the Korean art market's history.

Naturally, the quality and number of exhibitions have also risen, especially during the past few months to the delight of art fans here.

The same goes for foreign visitors. Whether they are art aficionados or casual travelers, the country offers a wide range of art venues and works of many genres to explore and enjoy.

 

Art streets and villages

Like department stores or malls, where one can visit hundreds of shops in a single venue, art galleries and artists have clustered in several venues so that visitors can get better access to them.

The art belt in central Seoul, which connects Sagan-dong, Samcheong-dong and Insa-dong was one of the first, and is now one of the most popular art areas in Seoul.

Among about 300 galleries in Seoul, nearly 130 are gathered in the area, including some of the citiest best, such as Gallery Hyundai, Kukje Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Seomi and Tuus Gallery and Arario Gallery.

The simplest way to visit them is to start at Anguk subway station. Leave the car at home - the streets are very narrow and there are few spaces to park cars, and you will miss out on so many things that you can see here and there along the streets.

Walk north from the station, and the area between Pungmoon Girls' High School and Samcheong Park, is Sagan-dong and Samcheong-dong.

In addition to the galleries, there are also many shops, cafes and restaurants famous for their unique exterior and interior designs. No wonder the area is so popular with photographers.

The galleries, shops and cafes in Insa-dong, which is the area that spreads out to the south from Anguk station, tend to exhibit more "Koreanness." So the streets are often crowded with tourists looking for souvenirs like accessories or paintings, or getting a drink at a traditional cafe.

The art streets in central Seoul are very crowded on the weekends so it is better to visit on weekdays if you can.

In southern Seoul, about 50 galleries are packed in Cheongdam-dong and Sinsa-dong, including Opera Gallery, Die Galerie and Park Ryu Sook Gallery.

If the galleries in central Seoul are more natural and bohemian, situated beside old palaces and parks, the galleries down in southern Seoul appear more luxurious, placed next to posh department stores and boutique shops.

Aiming to make the area a famous art belt like the one in central Seoul, the galleries often get together to hold art festivals. If you come at the right time, you can see expensive sculptures on show and fashion shows on the streets.

Moving onto a bigger scale, the most famous art village in the metropolitan area is "Heyri Art Valley" in Paju city, Gyeonggi Province.

It started as a book village named "Paju Publishing Town" in 1997. But many artists from various cultural fields fled in as the town developed, finally expanding the concept of the village as a cultural art village.

The name "Heyri" comes from the title of a traditional farming song of Paju called "The Sound of Heyri."

Now, more than 370 writers, artists, cineastes, architects and musicians live or work in the village in their houses, studios, galleries and museums. Nearly a hundred galleries and museums are found there.

 

Art in unexpected places

Art, perhaps tired from being locked up in buildings, is crawling out from galleries and museums and are appearing in unexpected places.

Not yet as world-renowned as those in Lyon, France, but the wall paintings near Hongik University are quite a sight.

It is the university's art majoring students who paint the walls. The work is not permanent, because they are quickly painted over again. But in many ways it is better, showing how quickly students reflect recent trends or events on their work.

One of the most remarkable changes that has occurred during the last few years in terms of art is that the government has become much more art-friendly.

The walls of the Cheonggye stream, which flows through the heart of Seoul, are often decorated with artworks.

And along the Teheran Street in Seoul's Gangnam district, the government has placed 11 meter tall, 1 meter wide media stations that show advertisements and video art, granting one of Seoul's most complicated and polluted roads an artistic touch.

Unexpected artwork is also waiting to be discovered on the outskirts of Seoul, in Yangpyeong city, Gyeonggi Province. Supported by the government, the city, which is another famous art village and eco-friendly cultural zone, is currently holding an art festival titled "Echo of Eco."

The notable part of this festival is that all exhibits outdoors - which are installed around the Han River Eco Park, Gangha Sewage Treatment Facility and Gangsang Sports Park - will stay there permanently after the festival is over.

Think about it, would it not be fun to see interesting sculptures at a sewage treatment facility?

 

Evolution of private galleries

As it became clear that creating a good gallery was no longer simply a question of what works to exhibit, galleries turned to focus more on other things like their buildings, the surrounding environment, and what more they can offer at the gallery other than art.

Popular galleries these days all have something more they can boast about - a welcoming change for visitors because they can enjoy much more at one spot.

For instance, Seongkok Art Museum in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, has a forest path that leads to a wonderful cafe. With just the right sculptures scattered in the woods, the cafe is like an oasis found in the middle of the dusty city.

The museum is about 30 minutes walk from Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun station, so it is a great place for businessmen who work nearby to visit to enjoy a quick coffee and some art.

Gallery Hyundai is another gallery famous for its restaurant, called Dugahun, meaning "A very beautiful house."

Dugahun 640 opened next to Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Cheongdam-dong in September last year, while Gallery Hyundai in Sagan-dong had already gained fame with the original Dugahun since its opening in November, 2004.

Dugahun looks like a hanok, or Korean traditional house, on the outside, but in the inside, it is run as a cafe in the afternoon and a restaurant and wine bar at night. The place is popularly used for private gatherings, parties and even weddings. It launched a wedding service last month.

PKM Trinity Gallery, placed in the basement floors of The Trinity Place building in Cheongdam-dong, benefits from the building's other attractions, notably a multi-concept shop named 10 Corso Como on the first floor.

As soon as it opened in March, 2008, the shop which sells trendy clothes, accessories, books and music and also runs a cafe and a restaurant, became one of the hottest spots in town. Thanks to the gallery and 10 Corso Como, the whole building is considered as a one-stop cultural zone for young people.

If you are not much into artificial buildings or products, turn to nature-friendly galleries.

Soma Museum of Art in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul, offers views of the serene lake and the vast green of the Olympic Park, as it is situated inside it.

And far away in Jeju Island, Jeju Dumoak Gallery also takes advantage of the nature it is surrounded in.

At the front gate of the gallery, which used to be a school, thousands of basalt rocks greet visitors and the playground is filled with unusual shaped rocks and little sculptures, forming a maze. Moreover, the sea-scented Jeju breeze adds freshness to the gallery.

 

National museums getting better

Not wanting to become out of date, national and city-run museums are also working hard to get public attention, resulting in some remarkable improvements.

Seoul Museum of Art in Seosomun-dong, central Seoul, was selected as the museum that Koreans wanted to visit the most last year, according to a survey of 15,573 people done by Art Price, a monthly art magazine. Gallery Hyundai came in first in the gallery category.

The museum, which is ran by Seoul city, has held many experimental exhibitions so far, including "The Storming Party in Art Museum" which whimsical sculptures by young artists were scattered around the front yard and the roof of the museum.

Currently, the museum is holding "City_net Asia 2009," which introduces art from four different Asian cities.

National Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, is situated right next to Seoul Museum of Art, inside the Deoksugung walls.

It is one of the three national contemporary art museums, a project the government is ambitiously carrying out. Two of them have already been established - the other being the museum in Gwacheon, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. The last one will be established in 2012 at the former Defense Security Command complex in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul.

When completed, each of the three will have different roles - the Gwacheon museum will focus on preserving and showcasing its collections and using its vast outdoor space, the Deoksugung museum will maximize its image as a museum inside an old palace by holding exhibitions that focus on traditional genres of modern and contemporary art, and the third museum, which will probably be fully-equipped with the latest equipment, will hold exhibitions on new media art combined with modern technologies.

Officials are especially counting on the third national contemporary museum to come, that it would become one of world's leading museums like Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York or Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

타자기 선물받음♡

 

다들 왜 그런게 갖고 싶냐고 했지만;

저는 타다닥! 소리나는 타자기가 정말정말 갖고 싶었습니다 ㅠ-ㅠ

물론 딱 맘에드는 소리가 나는 키보드도 좋지만,

요즘 쉽게 찾아 볼 수 없어서인지 타자기가 더더더 갖고싶더라구요; 앤틱할수록 좋은!ㅋㅋ

 

그런데 마침!

얼마전, 특별한 날 아주 특별한 선물을 받았습니다 ♥ ㄲ ㅑ아아~

 

 

너무 좋아서 소리지르며 우왕좌왕하고있으니까,

지켜보시던 아빠가 쿨하게 뭐 그런걸 받냐며;;사용법을 알려주셨다는 +_+

훨씬 옛날에만 사용하던 건 줄 알았는데, 처음 직장생활하실 때 쓰셨다고 해서 매우 놀람!ㅋㅋ

 

ㅋㅋㅋ 아무튼, 사진으로는 별로 앤틱해보이지가 않지만,

지문이 묻어있는 자판(?) 부터 녹슨 케이스까지 제대로 앤틱이랍니다 ㅋㅋ

 

사실 영화에서 기자들이 타다닥 치는 까만 타자기만 떠올렸었는데,

요 빨간 타자기가 더 색다르고 귀여운 것 같아요 ^.^

사실 아이들 장난감용이었대요 ㅋㄷ

 

아, 실제로도 써져요!! 아주 꾹꾹 눌러야돼요ㅋ

근데 까만 리본을 바꿔야돼요;

오래된거라 다 굳어서 너무 연하게 써지거든요.

 

요즘엔 리본을 어디서 파는지 혹시 아시는 분?!ㅋㄷ

[리뷰] 비욘세 콘서트

Beyonce rocks Seoul with 'Sasha Fierce'

 

Beyonce performs at her concert "Beyonce I AM Tour in Seoul" on Wednesday.   She was sexy, passionate, and fierce, for sure. Featuring her alter ego "Sasha Fierce," Beyonce proved that she is our time's number one pop diva, electrifying her Korean fans once more on the final day of her two-day concert, "Beyonce I AM Tour in Seoul" at the Olympic Park Gymnasium in Jamsil on Wednesday. It was her second-ever concert in Korea. Fascinated by her flawless performance happening right in front of everyone's eyes, a simple question lingered the whole time: "How in the world does she dance so fiercely and sing like that at the same time, with such charisma?" Standing tall, or better yet, dancing intensely on at least 10 cm killer heels throughout the two-hour performance, Knowles totally captivated the 15,000 fans packed in the stadium. At 9 p.m., about 30 minutes past the scheduled time, the 28 year-old superstar appeared on stage in her familiar look, a tight gold mini dress, singing her chart-topping hit single "Crazy in Love." Fast-beat dance songs "Naughty Girl" and "Get me Bodied" followed. Back lights highlighted her perfect body lines and showed off her famous thighs, exciting the crowd. When she reappeared after a short disappearance in time for her slow numbers "Smash into you," "Ave Maria" and "Broken Hearted Girl," the seven-time Grammy Award winner looked like a pure goddess in a long, swaying white gown. Impressive sound effects and stage settings added perfection, making her husky voice and superb singing abilities really stand out. When she started "Ave Maria," a hush fell in the audience, enraptured by her powerful voice. After pleasing the crowd with "If I were a Boy" by showing off her tomboyish charms in a gray leather suit, she popped up on a special stage prepared in the middle of the audience, back in yet another breathtaking sexy dress for "Video Phone." The crowd went crazy. There, hot under red and purple lights, she was like a femme fatale. A muscular male back dancer recorded her on his "video phone" while dancing with her -- the sultry video was viewed live on the main screen behind the stage. During the concert Beyonce hardly talked, probably minding the language barrier, but instead communicated with her fans with her body. The standing audience followed her every move, doing exactly what she motioned them to do. They seemed to be grateful when she said a few words in Korean like "Anyeonghaseyo" or "Saranghae" each meaning "hello" and "I love you." She really brought the house down when she did her usual thing before she started "Say my Name," asking a male audience member his name. The guy she chose happened to be an avid fan of hers, and when she asked him "What is your name" in Korean, he screamed out his name and "Beyonce" several times while nearly fainting with joy. Beyonce too, seemed grateful to see so many fans from the other side of the world going crazy for her. She recorded her excited fans with her mobile phone when she walked through the audience several times. But of course, the highlight of the show was when she showcased her recent mega- hit, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." After showing a line of user created contents that parodied the song, she reappeared on stage to perform the anticipated song in her signature black leotard beaded with crystals. The song was seductive indeed, as it sent the crowd to ecstatically flip their hands and point to their ring fingers along with their heroine. The diva's killer performance however ended with a bit of a cheesy message from her to her fans on the screen, "I AM YOURS" in bold red letters, after the title of the concert. (claire@heraldm.com) By Park Min-young   2009.10.23

양평에선_환경미술제가 한창!

Look for hidden Yangpyeong art

 

Artists started to gather in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province since a couple years ago. They were attracted to the area's clean environment which was hardly touched by factories or other polluting facilities.

Yangpyeong is designated as a special eco-friendly agricultural zone and has been Seoul's water source for a long time.

Highlighting the region's pure and artistic image, the second Yangpyeong Eco Art Festival is currently running under the title "Echo of Eco."

A total of 140 installation works, paintings and photos that arouse public attention to protect the ecosystem and the environment are placed in every nook and corner outdoors around the Han River Eco Park, Gangha Sewage Treatment Facility, Gangsang Sports Park, and inside three galleries -- Gallery Wa, Manas Art Center and Dr. Park Gallery.

"Visitors can look around the exhibits like they are treasure hunting. They are well-blended with nature so some will be hard to recognize," said Park Cheon-nam, curator of the festival and Seongkok Museum.

The festival benchmarked "Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial" of Japan, which successfully revived its mountainous region which was turning into ruins after sudden urbanization.

In this festival, 65 artists -- including some who are Yangpyeong-based -- have come up with creative artworks, hoping to bring out similar or even better results as the one in Japan.

For example, the members of the Contemporary Art Research Center of Kyung Hee University placed a giant log on top of the Sewage Treatment building and made a person figure dangerously hang from it, expressing the urgent situation our environment is facing.

Installation artist Lee Jong-bin covered an evergreen tree with a big head form made with steel wires and named it "Growing Thoughts." Yes, the growing tree is the visualization of how a person's thoughts grow, obviously more sharply as time goes by.

The exhibits outdoors are to be installed permanently after the exhibition is over so that residents can still enjoy them.

The show runs through Nov. 1. For more information, call (070) 7137-6353 or visit www.ypart21.net

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

토끼 키우실 분?!^.^

 

회사 동기가 집에서 토끼를 키우는데,

얼마 전에 새끼를 다섯 마리나 낳았답니다 ㅋㅋ

 

이제 딱 4주 된 아이들! (지금이 딱 데려가기 좋을 때랍니다♥)

완젼 귀엽죠?! ^.^

 

원래 저도 한 마리 키우겠다고 했었는데 집안의 반대(?)로 못 키우게 되었어요 ㅠ-ㅠ 흑흑

입양 원하시는 분 있는지 한 번 알아봐달라고 부탁하네요 ㅋ

 

혹시 데려가실 분 있으시면 댓글로 알려주세용ㅋㄷ

비욘세 콘서트 후기

ㄲ ㅑ아아아 ♡

 

대타로 가게 된 비욘세 콘서트.

사실 그날 다른 일이 있었지만, 비욘세 콘서트라길래 제쳐놓고 자원했습니다 ㅋㄷ

 

결론은?! 후회없는 선택이었음!! ㅋㄷ

 

사실 비욘세에게 별 다른 특별한 감정이 있는 건 아니었는데-

콘서트 보고나서 팬이 되어버린 것 같아용ㅋ

 

정말 웬만한 한국가수들에게서는 볼 수 없는

'격렬한'(이 단어 말고는 표현할 다른 단어가 없는듯!) 춤과 정말 대단한 가창력에 반했습니다.

아, 두 시간 내내 킬 힐을 신고 춤을 추면서도 끄떡 없는 체력도?!ㅋㅋ

 

'정말 끼를 타고났다는 건 이런 사람을 보고 하는 말이구나...' 싶었다는.

 

비욘세 얘기하면 항상 튼실한(?) 허벅지 얘기가 따라오는데,

글쎼요- 제가 봤을 땐 그냥 바비인형처럼 예뻤다는 +_+ 건강해보이고!

 

마지막에 I AM YOURS 라는 멘트가 좀 유치하긴 했지만,

그것 빼고는 뭐 무대장치부터 가슴을 울리는 음향효과까지 모두모두 맘에 들었습니다.

 

멋진 콘서트 ^.^  

 

자세한 내용은 기사 참조!ㅎㅎ

홍대로 고고씽 ㅋ [홍대아트디자인페스티벌]

Hongdae finally runs big-scale art fest

 

Visitors look around an exhibition hosted by the department of woodworking and furniture design at the festival [2009 Hongik Art Design Festival]

If "Hongdae" only means an area full of clubs and cafes to you, there are 10 days left for you to find out what the place is really all about.

"Hongdae" is actually short for "Hongik Daehagyo," or "Hongik University," which is famous for its renowned art school. Most of Korea's top-notch artists have graduated from there.

Ironically, the university has never had its own art museum nor hosted any art festivals of its own until now.

But now university has launched "2009 Hongik Art Design Festival," in which about 3,000 of its students, graduate students, alumni and professors are participating.

The exhibitions, conferences and fashion shows which each art major used to hold separately have been running simultaneously since Monday. Both inside and outside the Hongik Campus -- from the nearby park to the subway station -- is humming with artists, viewers and attractions.

"It is the biggest festival the university is holding since its art major opened in 1949. It will be an opportunity to look back how Hongik Art has contributed to Korean contemporary art during the past 60 years, and also to gear up for the world stage," said Choi Byung-hoon, Dean of College of Fine Arts in Hongik University.

On the campus, 11 exhibitions are underway, including the one at Hongik Museum of Art. It is the first exhibition for the museum, also known as HOMA, which opened on Monday. It is situated on the second floor of the Hongmungwan building.

The exhibition features about 700 works by 400 alumni and former and present professors such as Hong Seok-chang and Lee Du-sik. Most of the works are specially priced around 1 million won (about $850) during the festival

Outside the campus, about 200 students are holding a street exhibition named "Wow Flask B" until Saturday. Their experimental works -- as the word "flask" signifies in the exhibition's title -- sprawled out on the streets near Hongik University will hopefully help passer-bys enjoy the art and communicate with it.

Five more video showings are scheduled at the Hongmungwan building and two fashion shows are coming up this weekend at the university's pool.

The university will also hold an "Open Studio" event on the weekend where middle and high school students who wants to enter the university's art school can consult professors about the majors they can take.

"2009 Hongik Art Design Festival" runs through Oct. 25 in and around the university campus. For more information, call (02) 320-1202.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

배고픈 아이들_ 화이트밴드 사진전 광화문 광장 옆에서.

Photos of the starved

 

The rich are increasing day by day worldwide, but so are the poor. According to the United Nations' "The Millennium Development Goals Report" in 2008, more than 100 million people will soon suffer in absolute poverty surviving each day with less than a dollar to spend on basic necessities. In step with the upcoming International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Oct. 17, Korean NGOs' Network against Global Poverty and Seoul City are hosting the photo exhibition "The Innocent World." The network has been conducting the White Band Campaign, a worldwide movement to fight against poverty since 2005, in Korea. This exhibition is a part of it. Three Korean photographers - Seong Nam-hun, Lee Sang-yeob and Han Geum-seon - showcase 36 photos of the troubled areas around the world where children suffer from hunger, war and discrimination. The sad eyes of little boys in the photos will make you stop at the show for some moments no matter how busy you are. The photos, printed out in large size (190 cm wide and 118 cm long), are lined up along Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul. The exhibition runs through Saturday. For more information, visit www.endpoverty.or.kr/photo (claire@heraldm.com) By Park Min-young

'소나무작가' 배병우 사진전 리뷰

Pine tree photographer back with solo exhibition

 

Bae Bien-u's black-and-white photos of pine tree forests are mystical. Some trees are highlighted in the middle, aloof from others yet proudly standing. The rest are smeared into the misty background like Korean ink-and-wash paintings.

Better known as "the pine tree photographer," Bae is not only one of Korea's leading photographers but is also well recognized around the world.

"I grew up near the seaside, surrounded by trees and the sea. I feel so comfortable and happy around them. When I go on a safari, I ask the driver to take me to giant trees instead of animals. Once someone even asked me if I could communicate with the trees," the 58 year-old photographer, wearing a t-shirt dotted with colorful maple tree leaves, told the press last week, laughing.

His name recognition, as well as the prices of his works, hiked up internationally after pop star Elton John bought one of the "pine tree" series for $27 million in 2005. His photos were once again under the limelight in Korea after President Lee Myung-bak gave Bae's photo books to Barack Obama at a summit this June.

Back from Spain, where he had photographed the forests and gardens of Alhambra for two years at the request of the Spanish cultural heritage administration, the photographer is holding his solo exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, in central Seoul.

About 100 photos including the photos of the Alhambra, "oreum," or parasitic volcanoes, in Jeju-island, Changdeokgung in four different seasons and of course, his newest pine tree series are on display.

The photos show off Bae's remarkable talent of expressing picturesque lines and light. Touched by just the right amount of light and time, the colors on the photos seem to be even more realistic and vivid than seen with bare eyes.

To the surprise of many who are used to "photoshopped images" nowadays, Bae said that his photos are not modified at all. Instead, they are the "results of ceaseless waiting."

"I was quite a painter back in my schooldays. My paintings were always put up on the back of the classroom. Not much has changed for me, except that my tool has changed from a brush to a camera. You can't call one a photographer only because he has some great techniques. I am an artist, I take my time. My photographs are paintings done by light," he added.

The photographer who has been photographing pine trees for the past 25 years hinted that he might be down further in the south for the next 25 years, capturing the beautiful scenery along the south coast around Yeosu, South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island.

What about his signature pine tree photos?

"Well, right, I guess I will have to snap some pine tree photos along the way too. I know it is what many remember me for," he admitted with a chuckle.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 6 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung. The museum is located inside Deoksugung, near City Hall station in Seoul (subway lines 1 and 2). For more information, visit www.moca.go.kr or call (02) 2022-6000.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young