American artist Robert Indiana’s iconic sculpture “LOVE” was recently found vandalized in central Seoul with “Zombra” graffitied with spray paint on the letter “V.” The sculpture, installed outside the headquarters of Daishin Securities in Jungu-gu, Seoul, is known as the one of a few such sculptures in South Korea. The sculpture was found with the graffiti on Tuesday, according to the securities firm. “We are assuming the work was damaged on Monda

Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, has been a huge inspiration for the artist Kim Bo-seong, who has also published seven poetry collections. He has created a variety of artworks from paintings to installations inspired by the consonant and vowel characters of Korean. The artist showcased his new works at the Maru Art Center in Insadong, Jongno-gu, central Seoul. There are 14 basic consonants or ‘jaeum’ in Korean, some of which were turned into paintings by Kim. Korean letters are not ju

In early 2022, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced the launch of an art award named after 91-year-old artist Park Seo-bo. The purpose of the award was to “contribute to creating a healthy art environment” and "elevate the status of the Biennale,” according to the foundation's press release. The award was made possible thanks to $1 million of prize money donated by Park, South Korea’s leading contemporary artist who pioneered Korea’s famous art genre,

2023 Korea Craft Week kicked off Friday with more than 880 galleries, studios and institutes of craft art across the country to showcase a variety of craft art. The craft week is the largest government-led craft festival in South Korea. The craft week includes 1,835 programs related to craft art inviting people to join the festival across cities from Friday to May 28. This year’s edition will center on Bukchon, an old town in central Seoul full of traditional houses, located next to the

Korea’s contemporary art master Kim Whan-ki (1913-1974) is well known for dense dot paintings that fill the entire canvas and his signature blue color. Following extensive renovations, the Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, reopens Thursday with a large-scale retrospective of the artist. The museum, run by Samsung Foundation of Culture and the Leeum Museum of Art, is reopening after an 18-month renovation. Such a retrospective of Kim's 40-year career is rare, although

Seoul-based gallery Kocoon d‘Art will participate in Focus New York 2023, scheduled from Thursday to Sunday, at Chelsea Industrial in New York City. The fair is part of New York Art Week which features two global art fairs, TEFAF New York Art Fair and Frieze New York. Focus New York 2023 will include some 40 galleries including Kocoon d‘Art, which will present Korean artists Choi Wool-ga, Kim Hong-nyun and Hong Purume at the fair. The paintings will include Choi’s "Brook

Several leading galleries internationally that have locations here are showing a variety of exhibitions in May not only for collectors but also for the general audience. While Korea's art market has slowed down this year, exhibitions where the public can appreciate first-rate contemporary art continue to multiply. Three top galleries operating internationally – Thaddaeus Ropac, Perrotin and Lehmann Maupin -- have kicked off new exhibitions in Seoul. Austrian gallery Thaddaeus Ropac

French curator Nicolas Bourriaud will direct the 15th Gwangju Biennale scheduled to open in September 2024. Bourriaud is a renowned critic in the global art scene who has explored the concept of “relational aesthetics.” The discourse of relational aesthetics -- which deals with concept of relationships, meditation, participation and interaction -- is often cited as one of the defining concepts in contemporary art. Bourriaud plans to incorporate his artistic philosophy into a discou

As Seoul has emerged as a new key Asian art hub in the last couple of years with the country's growing number of art collectors, many are curious as to whether its new presence in the global art scene will grow bigger and stronger or slowly diminish. Hwang Dal-sung, president of the Galleries Association of Korea, who was reelected to lead the association representing some 160 galleries in Korea for another two years following a tightly fought election in February, is determined to strength

Nam June Paik Art Center, the world’s only museum dedicated to the Korea-born video art master, has unveiled the artist’s early work “Random Access Audio Tape” for the first time in South Korea after acquiring the piece last year. The exhibition “Something Like an Appleseed” at the museum in Gyeonggi Province was inspired by Paik’s 1980 lecture titled “Random Access Information” which was organized by curator Barbara London of the Museum of

When Art Busan kicked off in 2012, South Korea's second-largest city Busan was an "art desert." Twelve years later, the organizers claim the fair, which began Thursday, has helped the city turn into a thriving art destination in South Korea. And during this year's four-day air fair, the city’s vibrant art scene lights up beyond its home at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center. For instance, at the Paradise Hotel Busan, about 3 kilometers from Bexco, British artist

This weekend, along with the arrival of Children's Day and warmer weather, there are a variety of options on offer. Among the many choices, this week's "Well-curated Weekend" introduces a drone light show at the Han River, the "Museum of Innocence" and the Myeongdong Festival. 500 drone light show over Han River Seoul is set to light up the night sky with a spectacular drone show featuring over 500 drones this week. As part of the “Seoul Festa 2023” ce

BUSAN -- Returning to Busan after five years, British artist Julian Opie showcased the evolution of his art during the pandemic lockdown. The lockdown provided new inspiration to the artist, who has experimented with different forms of art over the years. Opie is famous for bringing life into images with use of LEDs, which are used to animate figures. His iconic LED installations of walking people have become familiar to commuters in Seoul with his large-scale media display, “Crowd,”

French artist JR claims to own the largest gallery in the world -- the walls around the cities he travels to. The photographer has earned global recognition in his creation of participatory projects across the world that deliver powerful messages in collaboration with citizens. The photographer has unveiled his first large-scale exhibition in Seoul at the Lotte Museum of Art, introducing his projects and helping people understand the intention behind his works. JR has carried out a number of par

GWANGJU -- In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and South Korea, the Embassy of Switzerland in Seoul is presenting “Spaceless,” an exhibition at the Swiss Pavilion in the 14th Gwangju Biennale. The pavilion, set up at Leeleenam Studio, is a collaboration of eight young photographers from the two countries. It presents the urban environment through an artistic lens, and a photographic rediscovery of urban spaces. Curated by Chun Kyung-wo

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has brought South Korea’s emerging artists to the fore at exhibitions dedicated to young artists since the state museum was founded in 1986. “Young Korean Artists” is the museum's longest-running program that aims to discover young artists. Thirteen emerging artists and collectives recommended by the state museum's curators and art experts are participating in this year's exhibition titled “Young K

A total of 20 craft works by contemporary mother-of-pearl artist Yoo Ji-an are on display at Lotte Hotel in Seoul. Yoo has created sculptures inspired by Korea’s traditional craftsmanship, pioneering the genre of contemporary mother-of-pearl art. The exhibition “On the Path of Time” features the artist’s “The Moon” series at the hotel’s lobby and lounge “Le Salon” on the 16th floor. One of Yoo’s moon jars created with mother-of-pearl, p

South Korea’s contemporary craftsmanship will be introduced in London to coincide with London Craft Week, bringing together 11 Korean craft masters and artists at the exhibition “Light of Weaving: Labour-Hand-Hours” from May 11 to June 30. The exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre UK will feature works by successful Korean craft masters and unique work inspired by traditional Korean craftwork. Among the artists is Jeong Da-hye, winner of the 2022 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize

Daegu Art Museum is under a special audit by the city government after one of the museum's paintings was found to be a forged work. "Plum Blossom," attributed to Joseon-era painter Kim Jin-man (1876-1933), was found to have been forged, and the city government is looking into how it became part of the city museum's collection. “Technically all works are subject to inspection. We will remove works found to be fake from our collection. For now, we are waiting for the in

Interdisciplinary artist Elly Cho’s solo exhibition “The Occupancy of the Self: Imagining Hybrid Moments” has kicked off at This is Not a Church, a cultural space in Seoul. Through different artistic practices, Cho explores the impact of climate change on the future environment. The exhibition features artworks created using AI drawing tools, capturing the artist's imagination of the future with the potential emergence of a hybrid human species due to climate change. The e