The job is simple – write pages of a novel on a piece of paper for an hour. Participants, one by one, walk into a small white room, sit down and pick up a pencil. They check at the page left open and begin to move their hand to transcribe it.  This is an art project by artist Ahn Kyu-chul. At his solo exhibition currently at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the 60-year-old artist invites the audience to engage in his creative process of completing conceptual installatio

Herald Design Forum 2014“It’s Design, Stupid!” This is the phrase raised in Thomas Friedman’s 2008 book “Hot, Flat and Crowded” about the role of design in addressing environmental problems. Design is no longer a decoration for products. Design has expanded its primary role and created collaborations with technology, management, psychology, humanity and art. The Herald Design Forum kicks off its fifth edition in November in Seoul with key words such “design,” “creation” and “convergence.” Leadin

Award-winning artist Kong Sung-hun is presenting his new series in a solo exhibition at Arario Gallery in Seoul. Named artist of the year in 2013 by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Kong’s new painting series is in line with his previous works that won him the prestigious art prize.The “Dusky Landscape” consists of 16 large works that are as tall as 1.8 meters. The images in the series are familiar scenes: a white trail of an airplane in the sky, bare winter trees, stor

When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants -- Virginia and Burley -- on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Kore

The Affordable Art Fair arrived in Seoul for the first time, kicking off its three-day showcase of contemporary art on Friday. The Seoul fair offers a wide range of artworks such as paintings, sculptures, installations and media works that suit “every tasteful taste bud,” said Will Ramsay, founder of the art fair.“There is plenty of good-quality art in an affordable price range. We are the venue for finding it,” he said in an interview at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the fair venue, in Seoul on Thur

Gourmet couture at W Hotel Seoul WalkerhillW Hotel Seoul Walkerhill presents a stylish collaboration between the hotel’s casual dining restaurant Kitchen and designer Munsoo Kwon, starting Oct. 2. The menu is inspired by and reflects the designs in Kwon’s 2015 Fall/Winter collection. The menu will include arugula juice, shrimp and black rice brioche salad, mantis crab, black sesame-crusted and grilled halibut with black sesame risotto and yellow saffron cream, prime beef striploin steak with blu

Miniature Garden at EverlandEverland, Samsung group’s amusement park and the biggest in Korea, is launching the new “Miniature Garden” theme zone on Sept. 11, featuring a miniaturized version of the park in a 330-square meter space. Nine popular rides including the T-Express, Lost Valley, Aesop Village and Sky Cruise  will be available, scaled down from one-tenth to one-fiftieth their original size, alongside a display of over 191 miniature trees. Tiny versions of Everland’s symbolic cartoon cha

Lee Bul rose to fame in the Korean art scene with her radical performance art involving the subject of abortion in 1989. At an exhibition space in Seoul, the 25-year-old artist hung herself upside down while nude and spoke of her physical trauma to the audience. In 1990, she held another performance wearing a monstrous oversized costume that was reminiscent of disfigured human forms on the streets in Tokyo. The performances in her earlier art career were to express prejudice and oppression again

POSCO Art Museum is holding a solo exhibition for Moon Bong-sun, an ink-and-wash painting master known for his delicate depiction of natural subjects, until Oct. 6. The exhibition presents 42 ink-and-wash paintings of bamboo trees and stones that symbolize integrity and fidelity in traditional Korean painting. Also on view are calligraphy pieces and a video introduction to the works of Moon.  “Bamboo in Snow” by Moon Bong-sun (POSCO Art Museum)Highlighted pieces are paintings of bamboo trees in

IKSAN, North Jeolla Province -– A restoration project of the oldest stone pagoda in Korean history is underway at the site of Mireuksa Temple in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. A rhythmic, clear sound of carving stone echoes through the vast site. Inside a temporary tent, stonemasons crack and sculpt stones that will become the new columns for the six-story pagoda. The sound accompanies visitors everywhere in the new UNESCO’s World Heritage site, as no buildings block the sound’s spread. The east

When it comes to art exhibitions, the artists’ name recognition often determines whether or not general viewers will go see them.  But museums and galleries are on the lookout for those unknown to the public. They discover and support young talents with fresh ideas and compelling modes of visual expression that may put them on a list of such established names in the future. To give such artists an opportunity to introduce their work to a broader audience, two museums in Seoul are currently holdi

For Han Hyo-joo, the lead role of Yi-soo in the fantasy romance “The Beauty Inside” was a chance that would never come again.“When would I ever get to work with so many actors in one movie?” she mused at a group interview at a cafe in Seoul ahead of the film’s release. “When would I get to kiss so many people in one day?” Han Hyo-joo (Yonhap)In “The Beauty Inside,” Han’s character Yi-soo falls in love with a man, Woo-jin, whose appearance changes every day. Drawing its inspiration from an ad cam

The creativity of young artists has met technological innovation in cosmetics at the research and development center of AmorePacific, Korea’s leading cosmetics-maker.A total of 16 cutting-edge artworks ranging from sound art to architecture will be on display in the courtyard of the research center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, until Oct. 25. The exhibit is part of the annual public art project by the AmorePacific Museum of Art, established in 1979 by the cosmetics-maker to house the art collect

Posters, logos, advertisements and infographic images created by Korean and Japanese designers are on view at an exhibition in Seoul that shows the transition of graphic design trends in both countries over the last 50 years. The exhibition, being held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art brings together 400 works of graphic design of 112 Korean and Japanese designers, ranging from first-generation graphic designers to emerging young designers.Viewers can find early design works

Herald Corp. launches the Herald Design Tech 2015, a project that aims to merge design and technology to create innovative design for future. The 100-day project, co-organized with Seoul Design Foundation, invites designers and engineers to work together to create collaborative works. The project will kick off on Aug. 27 with a preparation session that gathers designers and engineers together to discuss the importance of collaboration between design and technology and among different fields of e

An original manuscript of “Jingbirok,” a memoir of the 1592-1598 Imjin War that is also known as the “Book of Corrections,” covering the 16th century Japanese invasion of Joseon era (1392-1910) Korea, is on view at the National Folk Museum of Korea. The museum showcases the book, one of the most popular accounts of war in Korea, written by the “yeonguijeong” -- a Joseon era equivalent to the prime minister -- Ryu Seong-ryong (1542-1607), along with his possessions, including armor, a helmet, a s

TOKYO (AP) – What's in a word? As Japan's leader prepares to issue a statement Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, attention is focused on the words he will use – and the ones he won't.The phrases ``aggression,'' ``colonial rule,'' ``deep remorse'' and ``heartfelt apology'' were all part of Japan's landmark apology on the 50th anniversary of the war's end in 1995.Depending on which words he uses, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could either further roil his country's relati

SEOUL (Yonhap) – A local court sentenced the head of a private watchdog to two years in prison for taking bribes from Lone Star Funds in return for dropping protests over the U.S. firm's local deal and trying to help it settle a stock manipulation trial.The Seoul Central District Court ordered Jang Hwa-sik, the head of Spec Watch Korea, also to forfeit 800 million won (US$681,000), he received in 2011 from Yoo Hoe-won, former head of Lone Star's local unit."Despite fairness and integrity expecte

Korean content, ranging from films and music to TV drama and fashion, is attracting more attention now globally than ever before, with Hollywood star Emma Stone saying she is “obsessed” with K-pop.But Song Sung-gak, president and CEO of the Korea Creative Content Agency, said the domestic content industry has reached an inflection point, as the popularity of Korean content, referred to as the Korean Wave or hallyu, is showing signs of waning abroad, especially in its biggest market, Japan.He sai

Celebrating the 2015 Gyeonggi Folk Culture Year, a special exhibition sheds light on the history and culture of Gyeonggi Province. The province surrounding Seoul constitutes 10 percent of the Korean Peninsula and its population tops among other provinces at 12 million, 24 percent of the nation’s total. Historically, most of the areas that we now know as belonging to Seoul were part of Gyeonggi Province. Only the districts located within the four gates such as Jongno, Euljiro and Gwanghwamun were