[아이들이 볼 만한 전시] Art shows for kids

2008.1.28

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Winter break is too short for eager moms. Along with your children's English and math hagwon plus short ski trips, how about adding something new: participating in art programs or going to exhibitions.

As the importance of developing creative talents has risen, various exhibitions and art programs are taking place during the winter. Here are some that are worth seeing.

"Luci & Orange Museum"

A heartwarming story about an abandoned puppy and a girl, both named Luci can be heard and seen at the exhibition "Luci & Orange Museum" at the Hello Museum in Yeoksam-dong, exclusively for kids.

Twenty paintings, sculptures and photos by artists such as Maggie Taylor and Louise Bourgeois are displayed and used for the curators to tell their story.

The exhibition is based on an 80-minute tour provided by curators who mostly majored in art education or children's education. Children not only see art, but get to discuss it, draw their own pictures and make their own fairy tale books.

Reservations are needed for the tour. There are three levels of the tour regarding the kids' ages - for toddlers from 24 months to 48 months old, for preschoolers from 5 to 7 years old, and for elementary students from 8 to 10 years old.

The museum also holds art education programs, divided into age groups. In a colorful, open space filled with different tools to draw and paint with, children can take their first steps into art.

Parents can wait in a space nearby where they can hear their children and maybe take a peek at the class. A brief explanation of what the kids are doing is provided for parents while the children attend the class.

Experiencing and playing with art at a young age not only helps the kids' artistic talents grow but also helps them lose their shyness and become more outgoing.

"There was a kid who always cried so hard, not wanting to be separated with his mother. But after attending the class several times, he stopped crying and even started to speak in front of the class," said exhibition curator Lee Jin-hee.

"Big art museums filled with adults could be scary for kids. But here, they can talk and share their feelings with the friends their age in a cozier ambience, so it eventually helps them grow in confidence."

The exhibition runs through Feb. 28 at Hello Museum in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul. Fee for the tour is 22,000 won for kids and 2,000 won for the parent. It is closed on Mondays. For more information, call (02) 3217-4222 or visit www.hellomuseum.com.

"Kids Motor Show"

If your kids are crazy about cars, "Kids Motor Show" at COEX in Samsung-dong is just the place for them.

Kids can see the insides of real cars and learn the basic science of cars by watching and performing various experiments.

Engines roar and gas-filled cylinders fire. A rough wind blows in the wind tunnel where kids can experience the upward force and resisting power.

In other sections, children can learn the safety rules for crossing the streets, or draw their imaginative future cars.

The highlight of the show would no doubt be driving a racing kart. A racing track for kids is prepared at the exhibition. If you have collected all the stamps they give out at each learning section, you get to ride the car three times.

"Through various experiments and racing kart experiences, children will naturally learn the science hidden within the cars, and the importance of the safety rules," said curator Cho Bo-ram.

Do not forget to take home a "kids driver's license" with your name on, on the way out.

The exhibition runs through March 1 at Jangbogo Hall at COEX in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. Tickets are 15,000 won. Admission is free for babies 36 months old and younger. For more information, call (02) 501-1670 or visit www.kidsmotor.com

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall"

The National Museum of Contemporary art offers the exhibition "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" at its Children's Gallery. Seventy figure paintings by prominent artists such as Kwon Ki-soo and Kim Seon-doo are exhibited.

It is an exhibition to help the children understand figure paintings, one of art's most important genres.

To help them better understand the paintings, each title is connected to a familiar phrase in a fairy tale, such as "Mirror, mirror on the wall," in Snow White.

The exhibition is divided into three parts, regarding the ages of the visitors.

In the first section, paintings of children and animals are showcased for kids from 3 to 6 years old. Kids play with moving installations and feel the materials used in the works.

The second part is for kids that age from 7-10. Paintings of family and neighbors are displayed.

For kids that are 11-13, paintings with teenagers going through puberty or more complex pictures of the society members are exhibited.

A guided tour is available every day from 11:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

The program runs until November at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, in Gyeonggi province, south of Seoul. Admissions are free, but the expo is closed on Mondays. For reservations, call (02) 2188-6069.

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[화가와 달항아리] 'Moon jars' taken into 21st century

2009.1.22

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A person praying or making a wish under a full moon would not make an unusual sight in Korea. The moon has been long part of the Korean spiritual tradition and a symbol of abundance and fortune.

Perhaps with the hope of pulling the moon closer, Korean ancestors made "moon jars" out of white porcelain. The jar's mystical moon-like features, implication of abundance, and the painstaking process of making one continues to inspire many artists today.

Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, has gathered moon jar-themed works of many artists for the exhibition "Artists and Moon Jars," which is currently running at the gallery.

"As it is the beginning of the year, we wanted to start with something very Korean," said Sung Eun-jin, curator of the exhibition, to The Korea Herald.

"Moreover, since the moon jars mean richness, we thought it could give hope that we can overcome the current global economic crisis."

Paintings, photographs and actual moon jars of 16 artists are displayed at the exhibition. Works by famous Korean artists such as Koo Bohn Chang, To Sang Bong, Kim Whanki and Kang Ik-Joong are found there.

Moon jars and paintings stand here and there in the somewhat empty-looking rooms.

"The gallery space is deliberately made to seem rather empty so that viewers can feel the beauty of the void and simplicity, just like the characteristics of the moon jars," said Sung.

While the completed version may seem simple, it is actually very difficult to make a moon jar. One moon jar is made from two ceramic hemispheres glued together.

"So many hemispheres break in the process of making a single jar," said Sung, pointing to a faint line where the top and bottom meets, at one of the jars.

"But once it survives through the rough process and succeeds in becoming a moon jar, it gives off a well-bred, smart look. At the same time, it is filled with mysteries."

One of the many charms about moon jars is the mysterious color. From one angle it looks white but from another, it looks pale pink, similar to the color of human skin. No wonder Koreans compliment ladies with smooth and rosy skin that she has "skin like ceramic."

The glamorous ceramic seems to have inspired artists from long ago.

"Everything about my art comes from white porcelain jars of the Joseon dynasty," the late artist To Sang Bong was often quoted as saying.

Moon jars hold flowers or stand side by side with other objects in his paintings, imbuing a wishful spirit into them.

Kim Whanki, another renowned artist, is well-known to have said that he learned about figurative arts, beauty and his people through ceramics and that "ceramics might be his textbook."

As if to honor the art of ceramics, he included moon jars many times in his paintings -- with flowers, women or even landscapes.

"Foreigners are becoming more and more interested in moon jars, because it is unique, and is so Korean," said Sung. The British Museum in Britain and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in the United States, currently possesses sculptor Park Young Sook's moon jars. Park's works are also included in this exhibition.

"Moon jars can be considered as one of the art pieces that express Korean style or thoughts the most intensively."

The exhibition runs through Feb. 10 at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in southern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 519-0800 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[아뜰리에 에르메스 전시] Human body like fragile gems

2008.1.19

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People today take their bodies for granted, overworking and stressing them away.

But the human body is one of the most fragile and beautiful things in the world, according to sculptor Laurence Dervaux.

The Belgian artist is acclaimed in Europe for her sensational style of depicting the human body. She uses glass, porcelain and various liquids to visualize "life force" and the essence of life and death.

Her works are on display at Atelier Hermes in Sinsadong, southern Seoul, for her first solo exhibition in Korea. The exhibition is on a worldwide tour of Hermes galleries. This is the third stop, after La Verriere in Brussels and The Third Floor in Singapore.

"Human Fluids," on the third floor, is a series of 15 glass sculptures.

Dervaux blew melted glass into various shapes, which remind of something one might discover in a dissecting room like a heart, testicles or intestines. She filled them with colored liquid resembling bodily fluids such as breast milk, semen, blood, urine or water.

Surprisingly, the pieces are not at all creepy, even for the most fainthearted. The fragile material and vivid colors used for the sculptures make them appear like precious jewels. Through this delicate and precious feel the artist describes her vision of the human body.

"The Amount of Blood Pumped by the Human Heart in 37 Minutes" is another interesting piece. Glass vases and thin glass plates are piled up in four glass towers, each 50 cm in diameter and 180 cm in height. The towers are filled with red fluid, equivalent to the amount of blood the title suggests.

The exhibition runs through March 1 at Atelier Hermes. It is located in Sinsadong near Dosan Park. For more information, call (02) 544-7722.

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[이재옥 전시] 3D calligraphy explores the meaning of words

2008.1.15

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A black and red sculpture stands in the middle of the main street in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.

Curvy and fluid, the three-meter tall artwork evokes a pair of graceful red-crested cranes spreading out their wings. It is "Poe," by sculptor Lee Jae Ok.

One might be surprised to find out that it was also intended to be shaped like the Chinese letter "Poe," which means to spread out. It is Lee's style to transform two-dimensional calligraphy into a three-dimensional sculpture.

Lee's solo exhibition is currently at Juliana Gallery in Cheongdam-dong. The first floor of the gallery is packed with the artist's colorful calligraphy-originated sculptures.

"When I make the letters into sculptures, both its indicative and figurative charms are brought to light," Lee said.

Her method is possible because Chinese letters are pictographic. But she does not simply stick to expressing the letters' original meanings. Instead, Lee translates the lines and shapes of each letter in her own way and creates new figures.

For example, Lee turned the Chinese letter "lak," which means to enjoy, into a yellow flower. Not only does the shape resemble the letter, but the vivid color and the bouncy lines itself are very joyful. Naturally, she titled the work "Pleasure."

"An-yang" resembles a couple dancing the waltz. The turquoise figure, which seems to be the male, leads the dance and the yellow figure follows in tiptoes like the female dancer. Dancing peacefully is what came to Lee's mind when she thought of the word "An-yang," which means to relax.

Lee's work is better acclaimed overseas than in Korea.

"These were showcased in many art fairs such as Art Cologne or Art Chicago and received a great applause," said Juliana Park, director of Juliana Gallery.

"Foreigners found them very unique because it is a totally different type of sculpture from what they used to see. They are fascinated at the fact that calligraphy can be turned into sculptures, and at the works' oriental beauty."

The colorful works now on display are Lee's third version of the series. She first made them in a more simple tone with bronze and nickel.

"More creative and fancier versions will be coming up next," Lee said.

The exhibition runs through Jan. 31 at Juliana Gallery in southern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 514-4266.

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

Addressing the question 'To Have or To Be?'

2009.1.14

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Philosopher Erich Fromm raised the question "to have or to be" in 1976, presenting his analysis of two modes of human existence: having and being. More than 30 years have passed since then, but the question is still intriguing.

Living in a materialistic world where money is often considered the ultimate value, it can be confusing whether we are respectable individuals as we are said to be, or are merely an accessory to a society helping the money flow.

Some contemporary artists pondered this question, the results of which are showing at Korea Foundation Cultural Center Galleries in Sunhwa-dong. It displays works by 14 artists who answered the question in their own way.

The exhibition is titled "Encounter: Dublin, Lisbon, Hong Kong and Seoul."

"We hold exhibitions of Korean contemporary artists in different countries every year, but found out that the exhibits are even less well-known in Korea," said Jienne Liu, curator of the exhibition, at a press conference last week.

"So we decided to bind the exhibitions that we held in Dublin, Lisbon, and Hong Kong last year under the theme 'To Have or To Be,' and throw an exhibition here," Liu said.

This time, the local artists of Dublin, Lisbon, and Hong Kong also participate in the exhibition. Works by Anthony Haughey from Dublin, Antonio Julio Duarte from Lisbon, and Wilson Shieh and Lui Chunkwong from Hong Kong are featured.

The exhibition is divided into two parts, one led by the theme "to have," and the other one by "to be."

In the first division, Jung Yeon-doo, now a world famous video artist, tries to show how vain the idea of possession can be. Jung took photos of typical leisure spots like the beach, but instead of appearing peaceful and joyful, the scenes look fake and artificial.

"At first glance, it might look like a natural scene, but if you take a closer look, you can see that Jung built the sets and created the whole scene from scratch," explains Liu. "It implies how the people of today are ... at the border of truth and falsity."

Nearby, a large porcelain sculpture named "Translated Vases" stands. It is a work by Yee Soo-kyung, who glued broken pieces of ceramic together with 24K gold.

"Gold is commonly used when amending ceramics in Korea, but foreigners were surprised to see it when it was showcased in other countries," said Liu. This Korean-style sculpture signifies life, which is made upon fragments of ceramics that are metaphors for trial and error. The more mistakes we make, the more mature our lives get.

High up on the wall in the next division, a screen plays out an unbelievable scene. Someone keeps on pouring tea into a teacup, but it never overflows. In fact, it manages to hold the exact same amount hour after hour. The video is "Being There," by Hwang Haesun.

"Hwang makes the viewers doubt the difference between reality and fiction, thus realizing the futility of human desire," explained Liu.

The exhibition runs through Jan. 21 at Korea Foundation Cultural Center Galleries in central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 3789-5600 or visit www.kfcenter.or.kr

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

 

[한국 근대회화와 서예] Late Joseon art tells tale of hope

2009.1.12

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Many are bracing themselves for what is expected to be the worst economic year in 10 years. Need some wisdom to get through it? Perhaps it is time to look back on how some Koreans held up during their darkest times in the nation's history.

When the Japanese invaded, Korean artists found peace and hope through painting and calligraphy. Some of the most beautiful works of the Joseon Dynasty were created during that period.

"Korean Modern Paintings and Calligraphies" at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong displays 120 pieces by 37 Korean artists of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Most of the works will go on display to the public for the first time.

"Research on art during that period was long neglected by Koreans, perhaps because they didn't want to bring back such tragic memories," said Woo Chankyu, president of Hakgojae Gallery, at a press conference last Monday.

"But now is the right moment to focus on them. Since these are flowers that blossomed during such a hard time, we, who are also going through a hard time, should contemplate them and perhaps find some hope through them."

Naturally, most of the exhibits were found in Japan. Woo went in and out of Japan for 10 years to collect them.

The 30 pieces provided by Yu Hyun-jae, a Japanese collector of Korean paintings and calligraphies of the period, include several by Lee Ha-eung. Lee was better known as Daewongun, the father of King Gojong. These works will be on display for the first time at this exhibition.

Another reason that art from this period has not been popular was that most of the artists were pro-Japanese. In this exhibition, pieces by both pro-Japanese artists and anti-Japanese artists are shown.

It is easy to spot which works are by pro-Japanese artists like Kim Eun-ho, as they were greatly influenced by the Japanese way of painting.

Also on display are pieces by Oh Se-chang, who was one of the 33 people who led a nationwide independence movement against Japanese colonial rule on March 1, 1919, and Yun Yong-ku, who refused all Japanese government official posts or titles.

The exhibition also shows how the artists who spent a long time in Japan because they were exiled there, such as Kim Ok-gyun, tended to show more Korean styles of work.

"They must have tried to keep 'Joseon' in their hearts without leaning towards Japan, even though they had to live there," explained a curator.

The current exhibition runs through Jan. 24 at Hakgojae Gallery in central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 720-1524 or visit www.hakgojae.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[한국근대미술걸작전] A modern Korean art bonanza

2009.1.5

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The largest-ever exhibition of Korean modern art is running at the National Museum of Art, Deoksugung in Jeong-dong, Seoul.

"The Modern Korea Rediscovered" showcases 232 paintings and sculptures of 105 renowned Korean artists from the 1910s to 1960s, such as Park Soo-keun, Lee Jung-sub and Chun Kyung-ja.

Amid the flood of foreign art exhibitions, this one delivers messages only Korean artists can express.

"The pieces show what the Korean modern people dreamt of while suffering during a turbulent era," said exhibition curator Park Young-ran at a press conference last month.

"Looking over the artwork, visitors will be able to see that the efforts and hopes of those people was what brought the affluence today."

Taking place in both buildings, it is the museum's biggest exhibition ever. It starts at the west wing and spreads to the east wing.

"Modern Korea" is divided into five parts. The first part, named "Modern People," observes the appearances of people during the period of modernization and colonization.

Artist Lee Kwae-dae appears in his "Self-portrait in a Korean Coat" dressed in traditional Korean hanbok. But he is wearing a Western-style felt hat. Through this juxtaposition, the artist expressed himself as a pioneering intellectual who absorbs Western culture but also reinforces his own.

Streets, homes and lifestyles of people in the early 20th century are depicted on canvases in "Modern People" and "Modern Landscape," the second and third divisions.

A modern woman in hanbok sits reading a book in Chang Woo-soung's "Atelier," an indication of a society slowly opening up to women. Only a few decades before the time of the painting, a woman reading in public was not a welcome sight, not to mention that most women were illiterate. In Chang's painting, however, the husband doesn't seem to care. He simply continues to smoke a pipe.

Moving to the next building, the exhibition invites visitors deeper into the minds of the people of those times.

The fourth division is named "Modern Dream." Because many Koreans then couldn't fully realize their dreams due to political oppression brought on by Japan's invasion, their dreams seem more special.

Lee Jung-sub had to send his wife and children away to Japan for a while because he couldn't afford to support them in Korea. Left alone in Busan and missing his family terribly, Lee painted happy thoughts of his family together on tin foil. "Children, Fish and Crab" is one of them.

Chun Kyung-ja expressed her hopes in life in "A Man Holding Dried Yellow Corvina." Rainbows and clouds of colorful paint invoke a feeling of fantasy on the canvas.

Obviously, it was not an easy job to collect and display these old and precious works of art. Many of them were seriously damaged. In the last part of the exhibition, "Restoration of the Modern," viewers can see how the frail art pieces were preserved.

Enjoy the free exhibition, watch some modern Korean movies with a sip of coffee in the old-style cafe inside the museum, and take a walk around Deoksugung. This full-course cultural experience is worth a trip.

The current exhibition runs through March 22 at National Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, in central Seoul, but is closed on Mondays. Admission for the exhibition is free but ticket to enter Deoksugung is 1,000 won. For more information, call (02) 757-1800 or visit www.koreamodern.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)