Any Korean film detailing themes of acceptance within a narrative centred on disability cannot fail to bring with it mention of Lee Chang-dong’s masterful ‘Oasis’, but ‘The Peach Tree’ largely manages to hold its own fairly well in the face of such illustrious company; albeit with one or two minor caveats. [Read More]
Year: 2013 (page 4)
Jieun Kim and the three Ws
Jason Verney of Native Nomad Pictures and miniminimovie.com has done a nice mini-documentary of Jieun Kim’s Serendipity exhibition and workshop at Mokspace in the early part of September this year: Check out Jason’s Vimeo channel here: http://vimeo.com/channels/jasonverney/ [Read More]
Hyelim Kim with Byron Wallen at the London Jazz Festival
Hyelim Kim continues to push the boundaries of the daegeum, this time in a jazz direction: Byron Wallen & Hyelim Kim Thursday 21 November | 8:00PM LONDON Club Inégales | 180 North Gower Street | London | NW1 2NB We are proud to be part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival! We welcome back … [Read More]
In pictures: the KAA’s 합 Collaboration exhibition at the KCC
The KAA’s excellent 합, 合, Collaboration exhibition has now been reviewed over on koreanartists.co.uk. Here are some photos from the exhibition, with text from the exhibition catalogue. Photos by LKL, except where credited otherwise. Click on the thumbnails for a bigger version of the image. Kang Soon-yul My entry for this exhibition is based on … [Read More]
NLCS Jeju featured in the Telegraph
This week the Daily Telegraph featured the Jeju campus of North London Collegiate School: a piece of Stanmore in Seogwipo. The boarding school has now been running for two years. You can’t help but be inspired by the enjoyment, enthusiasm and confidence of the students, even though they are being taught in what, to them, … [Read More]
Kang Woo-suk interview: showing the reality of Korean cinema
Director Kang Woo-suk reflects on Korean cinema’s growing freedom to address once-taboo subjects, his recurring focus on social “enemies,” and the primacy of story over character. He discusses adapting webtoons, balancing action and drama in Fists of Legend, and producing films he believes need to exist. [Read More]
Kim Minae’s playful disruptions, at HADA Contemporary
Kim Minae is best known for her puzzling structures: painstakingly constructed, they are concrete, purposeful-looking objects. But on second glance the objects clearly have no useful function. Thus, the strange skeletal telescope that was displayed at Futures Futures Future reflected your own eyeball back at you. In her group show at the National Museum of … [Read More]
Kim Sung-su interview: “Flu” – when disaster feels real
Director Kim Sung-su explains why Flu uses a disease outbreak as a realistic disaster scenario, grounded in recent epidemics and historical trauma. He discusses national self-interest during crises, depictions of Korean and US responses, the symbolic role of leadership, and prioritising entertainment while embedding social themes. [Read More]
Kim Jee-woon interview: “perhaps I’m a workaholic”
Kim Jee-woon explains his continued return to short films as a space for experimentation, genre exploration, and constant creative work. He discusses making a romantic comedy short, the challenges of screening shorts in Korea, and contrasts between Korean and Hollywood production systems shaped by his experience on The Last Stand. [Read More]
Na-Young Jeon to feature in Les Mis in West End
Not sure if this has been flagged up before, but the current production of Les Misérables has a Korean lead in Na-Young Jeon as Fantine. The first Korean lead role in a West End musical? I went last night and she was fantastic, as were the rest of the cast. Na-Yeong Jeon is scheduled for … [Read More]
President Park’s busy couple of days in London
A quick run-down of President Park’s activities in the UK last week. Itinerary provided by Buckingham Palace. Photos from the Blue House and the KCC. Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 Morning The President of the Republic of Korea is met privately by The Duke of York on behalf of The Queen. The Duke accompanies Her Excellency … [Read More]
The President’s City Banquet
For the last night of her State Visit to the United Kingdom, President Park attended a banquet at the Guildhall in the City of London as a guest of the Lord Mayor – in one of his last official duties before passing on his responsibilities to the new Lord Mayor two days later. Over seven … [Read More]
Mee Hyun Oh / Sooyin Kim lunchtime recital at St Sepulchre’s
Notice of a lunchtime recital on 20 November 2013: Mee Hyun Oh (violin) with Sooyin Kim (piano) Wed Nov 20th 2013, 1:10–2:00 pm St. Sepulchre, the Musicians Church, Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DG Programme:- W.A. Mozart Sonata for Piano and Violin KV 304 -Allegro -Tempo di Menuetto F.Schubert Sonata for Piano and Violin D 574 … [Read More]
Expo visit: Hwang Jihae’s Hanging Garden of Billingsgate
One of the most prominent exhibits at the Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo at Billingsgate was not a hologram of Psy or an animated cartoon character, but a garden that was a full 22 metres long, dominating the space behind the main stage’s seating area. In an event designed to demonstrate the range of Korean … [Read More]