July is another relatively busy month with plenty to satisfy most tastes. So far, my personal priorities are the KCC’s exhibition featuring works by members of the Korean National Academy of Arts, the discussion-concert by the “Godfather of K-pop” in Oxford, and I might be tempted to re-watch the psychological thriller Sleep when it comes to some Curzon cinemas in the middle of the month. For Korean food fans there’s a festival down in New Malden at the end of the month, and no doubt we’ll find plenty of events which have yet to be advertised. Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts.
Exhibitions and Installations
- Minsuk Cho’s “Archipelagic Void” Pavilion is installed at the Serpentine Gallery until 27 October
- In Edinburgh, Do Ho Suh’s Tracing Time is at NGS Modern One until the end of August
- The digital art immersion experience Delight has been revamped and will continue until the end of September
- The KCC’s summer exhibition Across the Decades celebrates the 70th anniversary of the National Academy of Arts, opening on 4 July.
Festivals
- K-Folklore – a celebration of art, music, and dance – takes place at the KCC on 2 July
- The World Korean Food Festival 2024 takes place in New Malden on 27 July
- The Edinburgh Festival and Fringe starts on 31 July. If you haven’t secured your accommodation yet, you’ll be looking at a big bill. Why not plan to attend the Camden Fringe instead? Two Korean stage performances will be presented in the Camden festival during August
Screenings
- The Maeum (마음) documentary season continues at the KCC and ICA with
- Voices of the Silenced at the ICA on 4 July
- A selection of Short film screenings, Chorus, on 10 July
- Jason Yu’s Sleep gets a limited theatrical release at Curzon cinemas from 12 July, with some earlier previews. Highly recommended.
Live performance
- Balming Tiger performs at Heaven on 2 July
- Daegu’s Drinking Boys and Girls Choir support Otoboke Beaver at the Electric Ballroom on 3 July. They were huge fun when they came last year.
- The musical Marie Curie is on at the Charing Cross Theatre until 28 July
- Hyung-Suk Kim, the so-called Godfather of K-pop, is the headline in a discussion – concert in Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre, 4 July
- Stray Kids play BST Hyde Park on 14 July
- K-Poetry Melodies are at St James’s Piccadilly, also on 14 July
- Monsta X’s I.M performs at the Shepherds Bush Empire on 26 July
Educational and discussion
- Look out for a central London guided walk for BKS members, probably on 11 July
- The KCC hosts a discussion on Kang Hwagil’s Another Person, with its translator Clare Richards, on 17 July
Publications expected
- The Three Kingdoms of Korea: Lost Civilizations, by Richard D McBride II pub Reaktion Books
- Civic Activism in South Korea: The Intertwining of Democracy and Neoliberalism, by Seungsook Moon pub Columbia University Press
- Bojagi: The Art of Korean Textiles with Techniques and Projects, by Youngmin Lee pub Bloomsbury