I wish I’d heard about this earlier. We’ve already missed the first evening of the festival, and unfortunately for the second evening on 1 July you’re going to have to choose between this, an interesting talk at the KCC, and an introduction to the Kimchi Project. ‘Korea – UK Student Dream film festival 2013’ (KUDFF) … [Read More]
Month: June 2013
Exhibition visit: Kimsooja – To Breathe: Bottari, Venice 2013
In Kimsooja’s work commissioned for the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year it was the pavilion itself that was the installation. The Korean Pavilion, designed by Seok Chul Kim and Franco Mancuso is the most recent of the 25 national pavilions to have been constructed in the Giardini and opened for business in … [Read More]
Yun-Kyung Jeong: The Arcadian State, at Sumarria Lunn
I managed to miss Yun-Kyung Jeong’s exhibition earlier this year at Bosse & Baum, so I’m glad she has another solo show at Sumarria Lunn this month. And there’s new video and installation work in addition to her paintings. Yun-Kyung Jeong: The Arcadian State 4th July to 2nd August 2013 Sumarria Lunn Gallery | 36 … [Read More]
The Kimchi Project at The Greenwich Series
Many of you will have come across Antonia Mochan’s Kimchi Project – her one-woman campaign to visit all the Korean restaurants within Zone 1 and to review the quality of their kimchi, while raising money for charity. She’s giving a little talk about her project at The Greenwich Tavern on 1 July at 8pm as … [Read More]
The Pots that gave me Joy – the first of several talks related to the KCC’s Moon Jar exhibition
To go with their current exhibition – Moon Jar – Contemporary Translations in Britain – the KCC has a range of gallery talks and events. Last Monday was an informal gallery tour, and on 1 July is the first formal talk: The Pots that gave me joy Bernard Leach’s personal collection by Prof. Simon Olding … [Read More]
Lovable (다슬이, 2011) review: art, autism, and wonder
An utterly exquisite, poignant and ultimately uplifting film – told largely from a child’s perspective – telling the tale of a little girl’s love for a snowman. Lovable deftly strips away the veil of illness to show how intelligent, creative and inspiring autistic children truly can be. [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Who is Alice? – Works from the MMCA collection at Spazio Lightbox, Venice
In previous years, the Venice Biennale has featured a number of Korea-related shows as collateral events scattered around the islands, giving a dedicated visitor the opportunity to walk through the backstreets and explore the vaporetto network while enjoying new artworks. In 2013 most of the Korean artists were gathered together in one place, in an … [Read More]
Tenor Yun Jung-soo’s Wigmore Hall debut
The Richard Tauber prize for singers is awarded every 2 years in a competition sponsored by the Anglo-Austrian Music Society. It is open to young singers of any country resident in the United Kingdom or Austria. The first prize is £5,000 plus a public recital in London. The 2010 winner was Yun Jung-soo. The Anglo-Austrian … [Read More]
Kim Joo-il interview: a defector reflects on life in the North and on cinematic realities
Kim Joo-il reflects on his defection from North Korea and critiques South Korean cinema’s “distorted” portrayals of the North. He details the absence of concepts like “human rights” under state brainwashing, advocates for refugee status for defectors in China, and describes North Korean film as a tool for regime-led propaganda and psychological indoctrination. [Read More]
Global Korea Lecture celebrates UK-Korea diplomatic relations
Notice of the upcoming Global Korea Lecture: Korean War and the UK-Korea Diplomatic Relations in Defence Date: Wednesday, 3 July 2013, 18:00 Venue: Korean Cultural Centre UK Grand Buildings, 1-3 Strand, London, WC2N 5BW This year is the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the United Kingdom. To mark the occasion, the Embassy … [Read More]
The sticky craft of lacquerware: Korean crafts at Collect 2013
In our back garden we used to have some Rhus trees. Their leaves go a beautiful red colour in autumn, and their small scale fits well with the shrubs around them. But they’re a bit floppy and every now and then we had to lop a bough off, or even cut one down completely. And … [Read More]
Gig review: Jang Kiha & the Faces + Yi Sung Yol at the Scala
The advertised start time for the gig was 7pm, and at 8pm there was still a huge queue at the door simply to get in. Clearly the administration of rock concerts at the Scala is not bound by the same conventions as a classical concert at a mainstream venue. Inside, the down-at-heel décor is probably … [Read More]
Concert review: Geomungo Factory at the Cadogan Hall
Geomungo Factory was the second fusion concert as part of the K-Music 2013 Festival. The cool air conditioning inside the Cadogan Hall provided a welcome respite from the muggy atmosphere outside; and the clean, modern lines of the outfits worn by the four Geomungo Factory members promised that we were not about to hear a … [Read More]
Crossing – the defector documentary by Kim Tae-gyun – screens at Amnesty International
A quick note of an upcoming film screening at Amnesty International: Crossing (크로싱, dir Kim Tae-gyun, South Korea, 2008) Cast: Cha In-pyo, Seo Young-hwa, Shin Myeong-cheol Venue: Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA Date: Mon 24 Jun 2013, 7.00 pm The film details the tragic plight … [Read More]
Yu Jinyoung: I’m OK — at Choi and Lager
It’s a bit far from London, but if you’re in Germany this is well worth a visit. Yu Jinyoung’s solo show at Union Teesdale back in 2008 was profoundly moving. Jinyoung Yu: I’m OK CHOI&LAGER Gallery is pleased to present its first exhibition by Jinyoung Yu in Cologne, Germany. The sculptor Jinyoung Yu manufactures full-scale, … [Read More]
Hannibal Lecter plays Paganini – definitely NOT part of K-Music 2013
Thanks to the pre-concert publicity, anyone going to an Amadéus Leopold gig knows they are in for something to entertain the eyes as well as the ears. So it came as no surprise that among the gothic paraphernalia on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall for his performance as part of Yoko Ono’s Meltdown … [Read More]