The Galleries Art Fair, the oldest art fair in South Korea, will go ahead next week in Seoul’s Gangnam area despite worries over the spread of COVID-19. “We had thorough discussions and have agonized about whether to host the art fair amid a serial cancellation of cultural events including Art Basel Hong Kong, due to the novel coronavirus,” said Choi Woong-chull, the president of the association. “However, most of the galleries wanted to host the art fair as scheduled.

Three young women curators were curious about how Chang Jia’s works would be interpreted in 2020 after they received the spotlight for dealing with discrimination against women in the early 2000s, when gender issues were still considered an uncomfortable topic. Stepping into the Doosan Gallery in Seoul, which is holding the exhibition “Don’t Care If You Give Me That Evil Eye,” one is overwhelmed by the wide range of media dealing with female bodies, cult films and fabr

Concept Korea NYFW Fall-Winter 2020 commemorated its 10th anniversary on Friday in New York with three Korean standout designers who received favorable responses in previous seasons showcasing their latest collections. Concept Korea, which was held at Spring Studios Gallery in New York, is part of New York Fashion Week, which runs through Wednesday. The government-sponsored fashion show aims to help promising Korean designers expand overseas by providing opportunities to promote their brands

An exhibition that pays homage to Achille Castiglioni, a 20th-century Italian industrial designer, is currently running at the Seoul Arts Center. Titled “Achille Castiglioni and his Brothers,” it is the biggest of its kind in Asia. Born in 1918 in Milan, Achille Castiglioni started his career as an architect and a designer in 1944 at a studio run by his two older brothers, Livio and Pier Giacomo. After Livio’s departure, Achille and Pier Giacomo collaborated until the latter

Some art galleries here are changing their exhibition plans, as this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong, the biggest international art fair in Asia, has been canceled due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. “Following the severe outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has recently been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, Art Basel has no option but to cancel the upcoming edition of Art Basel Hong Kong,” Art Basel announced Thursday in a press

The TV screen at the exhibition hall shows a bird flapping its wings midflight, while through the headset connected to the TV set, one can hear a conversation in which a Korean woman from the 21st century talks about her neighbor, Yeonji's mom. The woman says Yeongi's mom, a victim of domestic violence, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for killing her husband. "... it feels like we're living in the 19th century," the woman says bitterly to the three other women, who are from Vienna

Sejong Center and Seoul Arts Center, better known for their concert halls, are hosting exhibitions showcasing artists who were inspired by music and explored the connections between music and art. A multimedia exhibition featuring digital reproductions of works by Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and the first large-scale retrospective of French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec aim to show the ties between music and the artists’ paintings. Kandinsky at Sejong Center Kandinsky, a Russ

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Monday its four sponsored artists, who are also candidates of the Korea Artist Prize, for this year: Kim Min-ae, Lee Seul-gi, Chung Hee-sung and Jung Yoon-suk. As part of the sponsorship program, they will hold an exhibition of their new works at MMCA Seoul from Oct. 31 to March 29, 2021.  Among the four artists, the Korea Artist Prize winner will be selected in December after a jury reviews the exhibition. Kim, a Royal

 Upon entering photographer Lee Jung-jin’s solo exhibition, one may be overwhelmed by huge nature photographs in black and white. Then, upon bending over for a closer look, one might be tempted to touch them due to their unique velvet-like texture. This is because they are printed on Korean traditional mulberry paper, called “hanji.” PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong is hosting the exhibition, titled “Jungjin Lee: Voice,” two years after the artist’s solo e

“Super Collector” By Lee Young-ran HakGoJAE Publishers There are three wheels that make the art industry function: The artists, the gallery owners who manage exhibitions and introduce their art pieces, and the collectors who purchase them. Among the three, the art collectors are the ones who really determine whether art markets thrive, although they are not frequently mentioned in the art industry and usually remain behind a veil. “Super Collector” by former journa

From modern text and monochrome work to Joseon-era calligraphies, many galleries are keeping things simple in the coming year. Elsewhere, there is a planned exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War and the Seoul Mediacity Biennale marks its 20th outing. Here are some exhibitions worth visiting this year. Yun Hyong-keun’s solo exhibition at PKM Gallery In March, PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, will put on a solo exhibition of 20th century monochrome artist Yu

Finnish-style furniture is popular in Korea, but not many Koreans have a chance to deeply think about how the country’s designs have evolved. The exhibition “10,000 Years of Design – Man, Matter, Metamorphosis” shows how design in Finland has evolved around the country’s nature and ecosystem from the end of Ice Age when the Finnish landmass emerged. Breaking the mold of typical design exhibitions, the current exhibition at the National Museum of Korea includes artif

The Seoul Arts Center is showcasing impressionist and postimpressionist masterpieces collected by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem as the first exhibition of the year. The exhibition features 106 pieces by masters including Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Impressionism -- one of South Koreans’ favorite art movements -- originated in late 19th-century France as a rejection of traditional and mainstream artistic styles. Instead, the artists expres

US-based K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin and renowned jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun, the two winners of the Korea Image Awards given by the Corea Image Communication Institute, said Tuesday that global attention to Korean music is expanding beyond K-pop as the country boasts the world’s sixth-largest music industry.“It is really special to think how much Korean music has grown for the 10 years,” said Benjamin during a press event at InterContinental Seoul Coex on the sidelines of CI

Mobile carrier SK Telecom, K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin and jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun were awarded the Corea Image Communication Institute’s Korea Image Awards on Tuesday for their contributions to building a positive image of South Korea at home and overseas. At the awards ceremony held at the InterContinental Seoul Coex, SK Telecom Vice President Yoo Young-sang received the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award on behalf of the mobile carrier for its efforts to commercialize 5G technology w

Baik In-san, chief curator of the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, felt a sense of relief when the organization decided to build a new storage facility with government funds worth 4.4 billion won ($3.78 million) for its artifacts, including 12 national treasures. However, concerns lingered about how the private museum could preserve the artifacts well. “The government funds were like rain in a drought because we had some financial difficulties with artifacts management,” Baik said

Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Millennium Hilton Seoul　Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. The deli’s signature Noel Cake, consisting of a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll, will be available for sale, along with fruit sponge cake, cho

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is preparing to host an archival exhibition this year dedicated to South Korea’s pioneering media artist Paik Nam-june. The show, set to be the largest of its kind, will coincide with the start of a three-year project to restore the artist’s monumental media work “The More the Better.” “We almost have set up the archival exhibition of Paik Nam-june, but some complicated issues with the owner of Paik’s col

Born in Daegu in 1969, Bong Joon-ho is believed to have inherited artistic sensibilities from his family. His father was a pioneering graphic designer and his maternal grandfather the well-known novelist Park Tae-won, who wrote such masterpieces as “A Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist.” By the time he was 15 years old, Bong knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. Bong graduated from Yonsei University, having majored in sociology. During his college years, Bong made his first short

Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set at Grand Hyatt Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel’s lounge cafe Gallery launched the Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set on Wednesday, featuring fresh strawberries and canapes. Served in a three-layered dessert tray, the set includes fresh-baked wild berry scones, homemade strawberry jams, winter berry tarts and more. A buffet station, as well as a ruby chocolate fountain, are also on offer. The tea set will be available through Jan. 31. The price is set at 40,000 won on wee