Korea has recently emerged as an attractive art market on the back of purchasing power of younger collectors, grabbing increasing attention from the world. Globally renowned galleries are opening galleries in Seoul or expanding their presence in the city. Frieze, a major international art fair, recently announced it will hold the first Frieze Seoul next fall, putting the city on the global market map. Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the fair. Pace Gallery, the US-headquartered co

A retrospective of Chung Sang-hwa, a renowned Korean contemporary artist who has explored the concept of infinity through his paintings, was unveiled at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The exhibition “Chung Sang Hwa” at MMCA Seoul is a comprehensive exploration of the artist, including recent signature works that feature grid compositions, demonstrating Chung’s own method of “peeling off and filling in.”  “‘To reveal is to value

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul launches package for family gatherings Fairmont Ambassador Seoul offers a special promotion for family gatherings. For a special get-together, especially ahead of a wedding, guests can enjoy a small or medium-scale Korean or Western-style course meal at Gallery 7. The traditional Korean meal is paired with traditional liquors, while the Western meal is served with wine. The family package is designed for eight guests and costs 1,385,000 won for the Korean meal and 1

The golden age of the world’s five most influential magazines has unfolded at the Hyundai Card Storage in Seoul. Walking through the exhibition hall, you may find some interesting facts about the magazines Life, Playboy, Domus, Rolling Stone and the National Geographic. The exhibition “The Issue: Hyundai Card Library Magazine Collection through the Ages” focuses on the five leading magazines, showcasing the inaugural editions along with some 300 notable issues of each publica

Frieze art fair, one of the world‘s largest global art fairs, will head to Seoul in September 2022 for the first time, to coincide with Korea’s annual art fair, KIAF Art Seoul. The two art fairs will be held concurrently on Sept. 2, 2022, taking up four exhibition halls at COEX in southern Seoul. Although the fairs will take place at the same time, they will be operated independently, according to the Galleries Association of Korea. Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the 2

Every day at 8:21 p.m., David Hockney’s animated sunrise video -- “Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long” -- starts playing on the country’s largest digital billboard, located at Coex K-Pop Square. The art dispay is part of Circa’s project to showcase artworks around the world in the pandemic times. Circa’s project, which is taking place in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Seoul, will show the same work throughout this month, ev

Water gently swirls on a round-shaped sculpture topped with a magnetic stirrer. Staring at the swirling water, one may find himself falling into contemplation. The exhibition “Reflection” offers viewers a time to reflect on themselves and find tranquility in the pandemic times. The exhibition “Reflection,” focusing on the philosophy of Buddhism in commemoration of Buddha’s birthday on Wednesday, is being held at K.O.N.G. Gallery in central Seoul. It is the last a

Plastic Art Seoul 2021, Korea's largest art fair devoted to sculptures and installation works, will kick off on Sunday at Coex in southern Seoul, under the theme “New Generation.” While the art fair features sculptures, it will also present a variety of different artworks including installation art, paintings and media art. A total of 89 galleries from home and abroad will join the show bringing 2,500 artworks by 700 artists together under one roof. “Last year, sales reac

A majority of the collection by Korean abstract art master, the late Suh Se-ok has been donated to Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul where the artist lived for 60 years. Suh’s family donated a total of 3,290 artworks, including the artist’s works and those he collected throughout his life. The donation was made without any condition, according to the Seongbuk Museum of Art. The donated works will be stored at the Seongbuk Museum of Art until a museum dedicated to the artist is establi

Wine night at Walkerhill’s Pizza Hill The Pizza Hill is holding a wine night every Thursday until Sept.16. The wine night opens at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at the outdoor Pizza Hill terrace at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul. The promotion includes unlimited offer of seven types of Spanish Tapas dishes and four different kinds of wine. The wine night is priced at 99,000 won per person. Designed by the late Kim Swoo-geun, the Pizza Hill building is well known for its unique design. JW Marrio

Art Busan, a major art fair in South Korea, will be held this weekend amid much anticipation after an unexpected boom last year, when avid art collectors and young people flocked to the southern port city. The largest art fair in the country’s southern region will showcase a total of 4,000 artworks during the four-day event. The 110 galleries participating this year include renowned international galleries such as Neugerriemschneider and Esther Schipper from Berlin, Commonwealth and Coun

While a large part of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s personal art collection has arrived at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and National Museum of Korea, the collection’s final destination remains up in the air. The major problem is the capacity to hold the record-breaking donation by Lee. The MMCA, which was given 1,488 artworks, most of them Korean modern art, admitted that the museum is running out of space at its storage facilities in

The project “Traveling Korean Arts,” aimed at introducing Korean art to a global audience, has kicked off in collaboration with art institutions in 14 countries. The art project -- organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange -- started Saturday in South Africa with an exhibition titled “Negotiating Boundaries.” The artworks will be on display at the 300,000-square-meter outdoor sculpture park i

The 13th Gwangju Biennale closed on Sunday after a 39-day run, attracting more than 270,000 visitors online and offline. Although significantly shortened -- by around half of its usual three-month span -- due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theme and the commissions were executed as planned. Some 85,000 people visited Korea’s largest art biennale in person, according to the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. The biennale -- which kicked off on Feb. 26 after being postponed twice -- was held u

Hwang Jai-hyoung, known as the “miner painter,” lived as a coal miner in the early 1980s in search of the human dignity that he wanted to express in his paintings. He believed that an artist should actually experience the life of a worker in order for one’s art to function as a means to influence society. While working as a coal miner for three years across Gangwon Province, including in Taebaek, Samcheok and Jeongseon, Hwang captured the lives of his fellow miners on can

Ananti Hilton Busan opens Infinity Pool 　 Ananti Hilton Busan‘s Infinity Pool with a panoramic view of the ocean is now open with a special promotion. Diners at the hotel’s weekday lunch buffet at regular price can use the Infinity Pool. Next to the outdoor pool are a kids pool, open-air bath and indoor pool. The promotion which will be offered through June 30 and limits the number of those dining in groups to four persons. Reservations can be made by phone or Naver. Fairmon

Five TV programs including a drama series and a documentary produced by network broadcaster SBS received Remi Awards at the 54th Annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival. Founded in 1968, the annual film festival is the third-oldest film festival in the US. Past winners include Steven Spiellberg, the Coen brothers, Ang Lee and John Lee Hancock. The film festival ran April 16-25 in Huston. SBS television drama “Hot Stove League” and documentary “Anywhere & N

A total of 15 Korean pianists are competing in the first round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious international musical competition held in Brussels, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Known as one of the most challenging competitions for instrumentalists, the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s piano section will see 58 pianists -- nine women and 49 men -- from 16 countries vying for the top spot. At 15, Koreans account for 26 percent of the contestants. The

Ahead of Children’s Day on May 5, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, kicked off an exhibition for children titled “You & Me” at its Gwacheon venue on Tuesday. The venue, which includes a children’s museum, was recently renovated to be more inviting to families. Over the past few years, MMCA’s Gwacheon venue has undergone changes to enhance its function as a family-friendly museum. The outdoor sculpture garden regularly hosts exhibition

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on eco-friendly fashion highlighting new fabrics, manufacturing processes and trends that aim to improve environmental sustainability. - Ed. When Kim Ji-young decided to move to Jeju Island in 2013 to leave behind the hectic city life in Seoul, she realized how many clothes she had kept in her closet without wearing them. Among them was an outfit that she had not worn even once. While packing for the big move, she found herself having to thr