Things are starting to get busier again… Special events The KCC’s online Hallyu Con 2021 is on 4 September KBCE’s Korean Harvest Fest (part of the Kingston Korean Festival) is in New Malden on 18 September Exhibitions Han Collection’s special Moon Jar group show continues all month TOUCH – a group project by ISKAI Art […]
Yoo Youngkuk: “painter of mountains” and “magician of colours”
Today, the publishers of a recent monograph on the Korean artist Yoo Youngkuk got in touch to ask me to add the title to the LKL Korea Book Database – something I was very happy to do. There’s far too little material available in English on modern Korean art so I’m always delighted when I […]
Gayageum / gomungo duo Dal:um release debut album
Those of you who followed the online K-music festival last year will have noted the “New Talent” strand, which included gayageum / gomungo duo Dal:um. If so, you’ll be as excited as I am that they’re coming to London in person for the 2021 festival – they’ll be appearing in the Purcell Room on 6 […]
Gallery: Yang Mi-young’s Royal Wedding Procession, at the KCC’s Royal Palaces exhibition
The KCCUK’s current Royal Palaces of Joseon exhibition contains three main elements: a large three-channel video work by Park Jong-woo focusing on the Jongmyo Shrine, installed in what was once the theatre area on the main floor; and some impressive still and video photographs of the main palaces by Seo Heun-kang. There’s a nice video […]
August events 2021
The recent announcement of the programme for the (live) K-Music Festival and the (live) Festival of Korean Dance gives us plenty to look forward to in the Autumn, but actually this month is pretty busy too: Exhibitions The KCC Royal Palaces exhibition closes on 21 August Minyoung Choi’s solo show at Lychee One gallery closes […]
Has there ever been a better time for Korean food in London?
The last few years have been an exciting time for Korean food in London, seeing a real expansion in the depth and choice of dining and shopping experiences available. Despite the lockdown, the opportunities to try traditional and experimental Korean flavours in London have never been better. Lockdown has encouraged the main food retailers such […]
Exhibition visit: Swimming Backwards, at Sid Motion Gallery
Artist Sunyoung Hwang had her works on display at Sid Motion gallery, London, between 21 June and 16 July 2021 as part of the group show ‘Swimming Backwards’ with fellow artists Emily Stollery and Henry Ward. The exhibition title itself has been inspired by Hwang’s homonymous painting, also displayed at the exhibition. The London-based artist […]
Two recent resources on Korean literature in translation
First, very hot off the press — uploaded to the Taylor & Francis website yesterday — is the Translation Review Korea special. As with most academic publications, this title is phenomenally expensive, so best to consult it via your university library online resources. Here’s the table of contents: Introduction: They Like to Sing and Dance […]
July events 2021
Lockdown is beginning to ease, but we are now beginning to enter into the traditional summer lull in events. But it’s nice that there’s a special Korean day in York this month. Hope that is a huge success. Exhibitions The KCC exhibition featuring the Royal Palaces of Joseon continues all month Haegyu Yang’s solo show […]
Dan Gordon’s North Korean documentaries now available on Vimeo
If you think that progressing beyond the group stages of the Euros is worth celebrating, maybe you’re right. But the success of the North Korean football team in the 1966 World Cup, in which they reached the quarter finals, was a much bigger achievement. They were the first Asian team to have proceeded beyond the […]
June events 2021
Gradually more real-life events are appearing in the calendar, but while we wait for things to catch up with the improved Covid situation, let’s get out and enjoy the weather after such a dismal May. Special Events The British Korean Society is arranging an event to honour British veterans of the Korean War on Thursday […]
When a PowerPoint presentation can hold your attention for almost two hours…
How long is it since the time when we could go in person to a talk given by a real person in an actual physical room? I reckon it’s around 15 months. Since the beginning of March last year, Zoom has been the norm. Online talks do have advantages over a traditional lecture theatre: you can […]
May events 2021
Despite the gradual easing of the lockdown, things are still mostly online. Only Han Collection seems to be welcoming real-life visitors (do pay them a visit, and while you’re in the area pop into the contemporary ceramics showroom at 63 Great Russell Street – you’ll usually find work by at least one Korean potter in […]
London and Seoul unite with giant Hockney video screening
CIRCA, a new platform showcasing digital art both online and in a public space in the heart of London, has commissioned a digital artwork from David Hockney which will be on show in London and Seoul, plus LA, New York and Tokyo, during May. In London, the display will be on the big screen at […]
Book review: Kim Soom – One Left
When the issue of comfort women has been with us since the Pacific War, to re-emerge in 1991 when Kim Haksun came forward as the first to announce herself as victim, it is astonishing that we had to wait until 2016 for what is, according to Bonnie Oh’s introduction (p ix), “the first Korean novel […]
April events 2021
Exhibitions Han Collection will be exhibiting the ceramics from Icheon that it featured online for Collect earlier this year, from 12 April The KCC is hosting a season of artist videos, with a limited online viewing window, starting 6 April Pontone Gallery is hosting an online exhibition featuring the work of Lee Jeonglok Screenings Minari […]