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Category Archives: Exhibitions

Lecture - Korean Crafts: Ancient & Modern

29-Nov-08

To coincide with the current exhibition at the KCC, Korean Painting and Craft Art: Creations from Tradition, there's a special lecture on 2 December. We are delighted to invite you our special lecture, "Korean Crafts: Ancient & Modern", on 2nd of December 2008. The lecturer, Professor Pak Youngsook received PhD from Heidelberg University and taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London) for more than 20 years. If you want to book your seat for this lecture, please reply to this email with your full name, number of seat(s) and your email address. o Title: Korean Crafts: Ancient & Modern o Date: 2008.12.2(Tues) 6:30-7:30 pm o Venue: Multi-Purpose Hall at Korean Cultural Centre UK ...

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The Tripitaka Koreana part 2 - the Depository Building

20-Nov-08

Matthew Jackson continues his series of articles on the important treasures from Korea's past The depository buildings which house the Tripitaka Koreana library are unique in almost every sense. Officially the largest wooden storage complex in the world, they are registered together with the Tripitaka itself as part of the UNESCO World Heritage (http://whc.unesco.org/). [caption id="attachment_6968" align="alignright" width="220" caption="The windows of the depository building..."][/caption] The woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana were originally stored on Kanghwa Island. The current depository complex was built in 1398 at Haeinsa temple, located far inland, to be beyond the reach of enemy forces invading from the north, and invasions by pirates. The 108 columns of the buildings symbolize the 108 defilements, or impurities, believed to separate the mind from ...

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Korean Painting and Craft Art: Creations from Tradition

10-Nov-08

Notice of the exhibition at the KCC, which opens tomorrow: Korean Painting and Craft Art: Creations from Tradition Exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre UK 11 Nov 2008 - 4 December 2008 The exhibition showcases JU-WON JANG, NAMI KIM, CHEON-BO, and YOUNG-JUN KIM, four Korean artists who have shaped recent developments in precious ornaments, embroidery, painting and modern lacquer manufacturing. Korean Jade by Ju-won JANG Jade has been used in Korea from the Stone Age onwards, especially during the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC-935 AD) as evidenced by the many jade beads excavated from various ancient tombs. The white, soft qualities of Jade convey persistence, mildness, subtlety, and patience. Emblematic of the Korean character, Jade symbolises the best of human qualities. During the Goryeo Dynasty ...

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The Tripitaka Koreana - part 1

02-Nov-08

Matthew Jackson continues his series of articles on the important treasures from Korea's past One crowning achievement of Korea’s Buddhist heritage that is not included in the Bozar ‘Smile of Buddha’ exhibition is the Tripitaka Koreana. There is a practical reason for this, as it consists of 81,258 woodblocks, weighs 280 tons in total, and would take 30 years to read, even with a reasonable grasp of classical Chinese. The collection of Buddhist scriptures is currently housed in the thousand-year-old Haeinsa temple, and undoubtedly one of the foremost wonders of Korea. Tripitaka is a Sanksrit word meaning ‘three baskets’ – referring to the teachings of the Buddha (Sutra Pitaka), the precepts followed by monks and lay followers (Vinaya Pitaka), and commentaries on ...

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Blight, Hope and Photoshop

25-Oct-08

“This is not a Korean exhibition” announced Lee Chan-Buom, Director of the Cultural Cooperation Division of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as he introduced the panellists at a fascinating discussion to coincide with the “Blight and Hope” exhibition at the KCC. With sponsorship from the British Council and the UNDP, there was to plenty support Director Lee’s claim of “widespread ownership” for the exhibition. But of course there is a Korean angle. Korea has had the experience of extreme poverty within the living memory of half its population. Indeed, One of Lee’s earliest memories was of an overnight visit from a burglar who raided his kitchen for food and then washed the dishes afterwards. [caption id="attachment_6318" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Myung-duck Joo ...

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The Birth of the YKABs (Young Korean Artists in Britain)!

21-Oct-08

‘4482: Korean Contemporary Artists London’ exhibition, 16th – 19th October. Seminar, ‘How to promote Korean Art Abroad,’ 18th October 2008. Both at Bargehouse, Southwark. Report by Beccy Kennedy Take forty contemporary artists, a fervent independent curator, an unexpected art space, four floors of art works in throngs of media and genres, and a thriving spot by the Thames, and what do you get? A distinctive, cutting edge art show and a journey on a possible zeitgeist. Aside from the presence of this effortless multiplicity, ‘4482’ is also an opportunity to see what Korea has to offer the British art scene. The answer to this would be that to some degree, Korea is the British art scene. Over the past ten years or so, Koreans ...

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Chris Steele Perkins: Comfort Women photos at the Festival Hall

19-Oct-08

Overlapping nicely with the photographic exhibition at the KCC (Poverty seen through the Lens) is Disposable People, an exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall on a related theme: modern day slavery. Magnum photographer Chris Steele Perkins spent some time talking with some of the last surviving sex slaves from the Pacific War - the Korean Comfort Women. In a simple but moving series of images, he documents the stories of some of the women he met, setting them alongside plain full frontal facial portraits. The images and stories are left to speak for themselves. The exhibition runs till 9 November, and will tour the UK in 2009, first stop being Plymouth. Links: Chris Steele Perkins website Further details of the exhibition at Oneworld.net [gallery] Related posts:Amnesty International ...

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“Poverty Seen through the Lens” at KCC

18-Oct-08

Notice of the upcoming show at the KCC, featuring Korean and non-Korean photographers An international photography exhibition on the topic of global poverty will be held at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, from 21 October to 4 November 2008, under the title of "Blight and Hope: Poverty Seen Through the Lens," hosted by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and organized by the Korea Foundation. The exhibition is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the British Council, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and a broad spectrum of other organizations spanning both the private and public sectors. [caption id="attachment_6098" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="© Andrew Testa"][/caption] The exhibition is a powerful mix of photography ...

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Crowning glory at the Smile of Buddha

16-Oct-08

Matthew Jackson reports from the "Smile of Buddha" exhibition in Brussels I had never been to the Bozar Centre (French: “Palais des Beaux-Arts”) in Belgium prior to the current “Smile of Buddha” exhibition of Korean Buddhist art. It is an impressive place (right) and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Brussels. The exhibition included items that seldom leave Korea, including the Pensive Bodhisattva, certain Koryo Buddhist Paintings, and the Silla Gold Crown. Also included were prints of murals, statuettes and triads, roof tiles, and sculptures and paintings from the Joseon period. One of the exhibition staff told me that he preferred the Koryo to the Joseon period in terms of the art it produced. As a Buddhist, I am inclined ...

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Francesca Cho: Old Paintings in Surgery

15-Oct-08

FRANCESCA CHO: OLD PAINTINGS IN SURGERY Location: Lilyville Surgery 630 Fulham Road London SW6 5RS Entrance on Lilyville Road, off of Fulham Road Time: 17 October - 14 November Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri 11am-1pm and 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Wed 11am-1.00pm or by appointment: Ms. Linda Gilson (020 7731 9388) Contact: Curator Lois Olmstead email: lolmstead @ gmail . com tel: 0779 128 4039 Francesca Cho is a widely exhibited artist in the UK and abroad, including her homeland, the Republic of Korea. For the past fifteen years she has lived and worked in London. Transcending notions of difference, Francesca Cho's paintings address universal ideals of spirituality and hope. Referencing landscape through atmospheric and symbolic signifiers, Cho's paintings invoke the real world yet transcend it. Rather, the nuanced textures and bold ...

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40 Emerging Korean artists in one place

10-Oct-08

We all knew that there were a fair number of Korean artists living in London. But forty? Where did they all come from? And, actually, there's more than forty, because none of the artists I know personally are participating (or if they are, they've kept a Korean-style vow of secrecy about it). But 40 Korean artists will be participating in a group show at Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, London SE1 9PH, 16-19 October, 10am-6pm. The title of the show is 4482 - the concatenation of the UK and Korean international dialing codes - inspired by the "feelings of anxiety, strangeness or tension that the artists experienced when they had to dial a long and unfamiliar telephone number to call ...

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The Pensive Bodhisattva comes to Brussels

06-Oct-08

By Matthew Jackson The centrepiece of the Bozar exhibition of Korean Buddhist Art, beginning in Brussels on the 10th of October, will be the Pensive Bodhisattva statue, Korea’s National Treasure No. 83. It is difficult to describe in words why the statue is regarded so highly as a work of Buddhist art, because its qualities consist primarily in simplicity and lack of detail. Although words may be inadequate, the statue’s renown in Asia (not least of all Japan, whose No. 1 national treasure is a near exact wooden copy of the statue) is primarily due to the feelings that it evokes in those who see it. There are various interpretations of the statue’s meaning, but scholars agree that it is intended to depict ...

Also filed in Bozar 2008, Historical, KSCPP, Permanent displays, Seoul National Museum, Smile of Buddha | Tagged Korea's Treasures, Ticker | Comments (0) »

“Made in Korea” festival in Brussels

05-Oct-08

The "Made in Korea" festival in Brussels is a big-budget four month perspective of Korea's arts. Centred around the Centre for Fine Arts, this is a unique opportunity to see some of Korea's ancient treasures and also some more contemporary visual and performing arts. Definitely worth a trip to Brussels. First, a summary of some of the one-off performances and events this year 8 October: National Orchestra of Korea opening concert 18 October: Korean Culture in action 1 November: Spiritual Korea: Day of the Dead 24 November: The Imperial Court rituals There's more to come in January and February next year. Next, the exhibitions which run for the full length of the festival: Kim Sooja: Lotus, Zone of Zero 2008 Where? Galerie Ravenstein | Ravensteingalerij When? Daily 10 October 2008 ...

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A Family in Disguise at Union Teesdale

02-Oct-08

Notice of an exhibition starting on Saturday at Union Teesdale Street: YU JINYOUNG / A FAMILY IN DISGUISE 4th October – 1st November 2008 Opening hours: contact the gallery for details UNION 94 Teesdale Street London E2 6PU UNION Teesdale Street is pleased to announce the solo exhibition A FAMILY IN DISGUISE by Yu Jinyoung, co-curated by Sunhee Choi. Yu Jinyoung’s work focuses on the family, developing from her previous works that reflect on the trapped human beings in society. She tries to reveal the fact that family tend to avoid discord and refuse to expose their true nature to others, instead projecting an image of happiness at all times. She seeks to look into the depth of the relationships within the family unit through its ...

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Seeing and Hiding at New Days Gallery

01-Oct-08

Notice of an exhibition at New Days Gallery, commencing this weekend, featuring work by Hea Yun Jung. Artist: Hea Yun Jung Open to public: 4th (Sat) Oct – 23rd (Thur) Oct 08 Opening time: 10am -5pm, Tue-Sat (Closed on Sunday and Monday) Venue: Newdays Gallery London Address: 2 Alric Ave, New Malden, KT3 4JN, UK Enquiry: 0208 286 1335 / 07894 237044 Admission: Free In partnership with International Art Association. Further samples, and a map of the gallery: [gallery] Related posts:The Reflection at New Days Gallery News of a three-week exhibition at the New Days...Return of Millennium Dream Last year the ceramic artists of North Gyeongsang province held...Circuit Diagram at Cell gallery What do a 20 dollar bill, a spirit level,... Related posts brought to you by Yet ...

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Jaeran Won in the alphabet bar

30-Sep-08

Notice of an exhibition by Korean-born artist Jaeran Won, commencing on 7 October. The Alphabet Bar 0207 439 2190 Beak Street, London W1F 9SE 7 Oct - 10 Nov 2008 Opens 7 Oct 7-9pm http://www.myspace.com/jaeran Related posts:Korean artists in South Bank group shows First, those who missed Kwon Dae-hun’s intriguing paper-and-light sculptures...Lee Ufan at Lisson Gallery A notice of an upcoming exhibition at the Lisson Gallery...A Family in Disguise at Union Teesdale Notice of an exhibition starting on Saturday at Union Teesdale... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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The Sarira Casket

27-Sep-08

Matthew Jackson describes one of the Buddhist treasures in the Seoul National Museum. Of the few people I have asked who have visited the Seoul National Museum, no one has mentioned the Kameun Sarira Casket as the high point of their tour. When I visited the museum myself, even though I was specifically looking out for it, it became clear to me why. At a first glance, in room crowded full of exhibits, its initial appearance does not suggest anything special. Yet this masterpiece of gold artwork must surely rank among the greatest cultural exhibits Korea has to offer the world, both for its unique detail, and its profound religious symbolism. [caption id="attachment_5638" align="alignright" width="220" caption="The real deal - gold granules on ...

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Beautiful Fake at I-MYU

19-Sep-08

I-MYU's first show of the Autumn is Beautiful Fake - a solo exhibition by Zinoo Park, who studied design at the Royal College of Art. From the press release: I-MYU Projects is pleased to present works by Korean artist Zinoo Park. Crossing the borders between fine art and design, Zinoo Park constructs playful, subversive and confrontational work infused with popular culture references that question ideas of function and aesthetics. Working consistently with repeated motifs, most notably that of a Coca Cola bottle, Park not only draws in originating pop works from the mid 50s, but pulls iconic designs into a new era of consumption and high street obsession. Many of his works are marked as ‘fake’ adopting designer systems of logo to ...

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Free Words at Mayfair Public Library

20-Aug-08

When I went to the Free Words exhibition at Mayfair Public Library it was a grey Friday evening, and consequently did not see the works at their best. It was the last day of the main show, and the artwork seemed to have been forgotten in a rather drab-feeling, unloved public-sector space on the top floor. Sumer Erek’s work, Newspaper House, was in an unadvertised and unlit side room which looked as if no-one ever went in there. The stairway and main exhibition space was dominated by Marko Stepanov’s fifteen life-size photographs of individual activists at Hyde Park’s Speakers Corner, clearly consistent with the exhibition’s main theme. Quieter but more thought-provoking were Marisol Cavia’s paper sculptures, the most striking ones ...

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The Reflection at New Days Gallery

14-Aug-08

News of a three-week exhibition at the New Days Gallery in New Malden: The reflection Artist: Dok Hi Kim Open to public: 16th (Sat) Aug – 6th (Sat) Sep 08 Opening time: 10am-5pm, Tue-Sat (Closed on Sun & Mon) Venue: Newdays Gallery London 2 Alric Ave, New Malden, KT3 4JN Enquiry: 0208 286 1335 / 07894 237044 Admission: Free Encounters with Light and Colour. My paintings are my journey into the realm of light and its offspring, colour. Light that conjures up my dreams of landscape. One can hardly call my paintings Landscapes, yet they refresh the eyes and calm or assault the spirit with the power of natural beauty. Faint suggestions of horizon, light streams, distinctive and well-explored brush strokes and paint surface of varied thickness to fit ...

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Vessels at the KCC

11-Aug-08

The KCC's exhibition for August and September is a juxtaposition of work by British and Korean ceramicists. Vessels: Ceramicists from Korea & UK Exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre UK 12 August – 25 September 2008 Participating Artists (in alphabetical order): Felicity Aylieff | Sena Gu | Jeong Yong Han | Chris Keenan | Sun Kim | Hyejeong Kim | Eun-bum Lee | Yong Phill Lee | Chun Soo Lee | Rupert Spira | Heesook Ko | Sol Yoon The exhibition presents the unparalleled aesthetics and craftsmanship of the 21st century through the brilliant work of twelve artists. Representing both Korea and the UK, these artists have produced ceramic wonders that are not only breaking new ground but which also incorporate the uniquely congruent language ...

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Suh Do-ho in Psycho Buildings

31-Jul-08

Psycho Buildings is a cosmopolitan collaboration in which artists from as far afield as Tokyo and Cuba “take on” architecture. Suh Do-ho (right) is one of the diaspora of Korean artists working in various countries around the world. Like Baik Nam June, Suh has chosen to make his home in America. Suh’s work has in the past explored aspects of identity, from his Some / one sculpture of a warrior crafted out of US military dog-tags, to his floor made of tiny figures holding up a sheet of glass. In another group of installations, his trademark is the recreation of interiors and exteriors of domestic spaces by carefully hanging sheets of diaphanous silk or nylon. He has created both western and ...

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Dae Hun Kwon in The Situation

16-Jul-08

There’s some sort of funky alternative event being held at the funky alternative end of Clapham on Thursday, to do with London Lit Plus: The Situation: Back to Basics July 17, 2008 7:00 pm to July 18, 2008 1:00 am. The Situation presents the dialectical unification of art and life: art / music / performance / social / life at arch635, 15-16 Lendal Terrace, Clapham North tube, SW4. If you can work out what it’s all about, please leave a comment below. But the reason why I’m mentioning it here is that one of my favourite Korean artists working in London is participating in it. I first came across Kwon Dae-hun’s work at I-MYU in November last year (pictured left) – rather intriguing sculptures ...

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Impossible landscapes

07-Jul-08

Recently in London we’ve seen two seemingly very different responses to traditional Korean and Chinese landscape painting. In March we had Lim Taek (임택) at I-MYU; just finished at Union we had Lee Sea-hyun (이세현). Both artists portray the familiar mountains, the occasional ancient pavilion dotting the landscape. But Lim’s mountains are simple blocks of white against a rich blue sky, and while Lee respects the conventions and has a blank background against which his carefully delineated peaks are set, he defies conventions in another way by presenting his landscapes in a ghostly red. Considering the two responses side by side allows some interesting similarities and contrasts to be highlighted. Left: Lim Taek: Transferred Landscape. Right: Lee Sea-hyun: Between Red Stand in ...

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Francesca Cho in “Free Words”

04-Jul-08

Francesca Cho will be participating in the group exhibition 'Free words' at the Mayfair Public Library, 15 - 31 July. This is the first exhibition to be held in the library space and complements nicely the National Year of Reading. 'Free words' explores the censored word, printed matter and use of language as means of expression, through the interpretations of five artists, with site specific installations, painting, photography and sound pieces: Marisol Cavia Francesca Cho Sumer Erek Marko Stepanov Katie Sollohub Mayfair Public Library is at 25 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2PB [Map]. Opening hours 11am-7pm weekdays, 10:30am-2:00pm Saturdays. Cho's installation is sponsored by Rolawn, who also sponsored her previous turf installation at Conran's Bluebird shop Links: Free Word Show channel on YouTube Notice of exhibition on City of ...

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