[프랑스익스프레스] 40여개 프랑스 문화축제가 열립니다.

9월부터 12월까지 "프랑스 익스프레스"라는 프랑스예술축제가

서울을 비롯한 6개 도시에서 열린답니다.

 

저는 개인적으로 프랑스문화, 특히 미술과 디자인쪽에 관심이 많아서 유심히 봤는데

꽤 볼만한 전시들이 많아요- 꼭 이렇게 묶어두지 않았어도 가볼만했을 만한.ㅋ

 

과연 다 가볼수 있을지는 모르겠지만,
이쪽에 관심 있으신 분들은 꼼꼼히 챙겨보면 재미있을 듯 합니다 ^-^

 

Autumn to savor French culture

 

To the delight of many who are interested in French culture, the "France Express" season has come again.

The third "France Express," a French cultural festival hosted by the French Embassy and the French Cultural Center, began its four-month journey earlier this month.

More than 40 events are lined up in six major cities in Korea, including Seoul. About 200 French artists will be showing off their talents in Korea until December.

"This year's 'France Express' will introduce various arts, plays, music, movies and street performances like it did the last two years when the festivals all marked a great success. Particularly this year, some of the events will be closely connected with major Korean festivals and institutions," French ambassador Elisabeth Laurin told the press last week.

The festival is already heating up with some major art and design exhibitions.

"Platform Seoul," an annual contemporary art festival was the first, starting Sept. 3 and continuing until Friday.

At a show currently underway at the former Defense Security Command complex in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul, French contemporary artists such as Christian Boltanski, Vincent Ganivet, Alain Declercq and Elise Florenty display their works along with some 100 other artists.

Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongi-dong, central Seoul, yesterday opened a retrospective exhibition to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Jean Prouve's death. The show, which came from the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, is the first-ever and the biggest exhibition on the world-renowned French architect and designer in Korea.

About 90 pieces of his furniture, photos, drawings and videos are packed in the three-story museum. Among them, an armchair named "Grand Repos" is something viewers might want to take a good look at.

Made in the 1930s, the chair looks simple, chic, yet comfy. But the most amazing part about it is its current price: more than 1 million euros (1.5 billion won).

Titled "Jean Prouve: The Poetics of the Technical Object," the exhibition runs through Nov. 29.

Two blockbuster French photo exhibitions are lined up at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.

Currently on display is "Les Maitres de la Photographie du 20eme Siecle," which displays about 180 photos by 18 photographers from the 1920s-1940s, including Andre Kertesz, Man Ray and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy.

"They were the photographers whose photos I had studied over and over again through text books. They initiated the time when photographs were first considered as art," said Sin Su-jin, Psychology of Photography research professor at Yonsei University.

The pioneering photographers known as "avant-garde artists" or better as "enfants terribles" tried everything that could possibly be done in the process of taking and printing a photograph.

They distorted the images using mirrors, turned on the light while developing photos in the darkroom and messed with the printing paper.

"What was the result? Photos finally started to contain message," said Sin.

Being in black and white, the photos somehow excite more curiosity. The exhibition runs through Oct. 29.

The next show at Seoul Arts Center starts on Friday, featuring photos by Sarah Moon, who is one of the best fashion photographers in France. It will run through Nov. 29.

Seongkok Art Museum in Jongro-gu, central Seoul, also took charge of two exhibitions -- "Portraits of shoes, Stories of feet" and "Ho Sup HWANG- la force de la main" -- which opened last week.

The shoe exhibition is from Romans International Museum of the Shoe which is the sole and the best shoe museum in Paris.

A total of 64 shoes dating from the 18th century till now are on show. The collection is diverse, from African shoes, Korean "jipsin," and straw sandals to fancy Chanels.

A funny thing is that none of them are in pairs.

"They are very special and rare shoes, so we only take one of a pair for exhibitions due to safety causes," said exhibition organizer Yves Sabourin.

Indeed, the beautiful shoes appear very fragile, and often too small.

"In the 19th century, women's shoes were only half the size as they are today," Sabourin said. The exhibition runs through Nov. 8.

Also at Seongkok, Korean artist Hwang Ho Sup is exhibiting his paintings and sculptures done using only his bare hands.

He painted numerous spots on canvases, making them appear like microcosms. In another series, he bent wire nets into the form of a Buddhist statue and placed them over celebrity photos.

Hwang's works seem to contain both oriental and occidental thoughts, as he has spent half his life in Korea and the other half in France. His works on display definitely offer a mix of expensive European paint and microcosm, as well as blue-eyed celebrities and Buddhism. Hwang's solo exhibition runs through Sep. 30.

More exhibitions are scheduled throughout the cities in the upcoming months, along with a full scale launch of performances, concerts and movies.

The play "Ricercar" will take place at Seoul Arts Center from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 and "L'Effet de Serve" will run from Nov. 11 to 13 at Myeongdong Theater.

Many French musicians will be holding concerts, including pianist Yaron Herman, Accordianist Richard Galliano Tangaria and The Contemporary Orchestra Ensemble.

Busan will be the main venue for the movies. 25 French movies will be shown at the Busan International Film Festival, placing France as the country viewing the most of its films at the festival.

For more information on "France Express," visit www.france.or.kr or call (02) 315-8500.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young