In the first of three articles – which have taken far longer than they should have done to write – we look back over the past year of Korean events in London and elsewhere. At this point in the year we always ask ourselves the question as to whether there is any sign of the Korean … [Read More]
Artist: Choi Jeong-hwa (최정화)
Choi Jeong Hwa in “When Forms Come Alive”, at Hayward Gallery
Spanning over 60 years of contemporary sculpture, this exhibition highlights ways in which artists draw on familiar experiences of movement, flux and organic growth. Inspired by sources ranging from a dancer’s gesture to the breaking of a wave, from a flow of molten metal to the interlacing of a spider’s web, the artworks in When Forms … [Read More]
The Coronet Theatre’s “Tiger is Coming” festival: don’t miss any of it.
How long have we all been wanting Leenalchi and the Ambiguous Dance Company to come to London? Probably ever since their Naver Onstage performance went viral on social media. The piece they were performing was Tiger is Coming, which turned out to be the opening track of their subsequent album, Sugungga, a retelling of one … [Read More]
Tiger is Coming: Choi Jeong Hwa’s Tiger, Journey, Love
A colourful exhibition that will last for the duration of the Coronet’s special Tiger is Coming festival of Korean events. Combine a visit with a guided tour behind the scenes of the theatre. [Read More]
Korean Film Nights return online with Trapped! The Cinema of Confinement
The KCCUK has been adapting its activities to fit the constraints of a Covid-19 world. Together with the Birkbeck Film Programming and Curating MA course they have curated a new season of four film nights on a suitable theme. The movies are all available on the Korean Film Archive YouTube Channel (LKL’s index here), but … [Read More]
2019 Travel Diary #1: Seoul
This year I decided to ease myself into the Korea trip gently: an evening plus a half-day in Seoul before heading off to visit friends elsewhere on the peninsula. I didn’t know how much energy I’d have when I landed, but had made tentative arrangements to meet up with London-based artist Bongsu Park, possibly with … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Korean artists at APT8
The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) has been hosting the Asia Pacific Triennial since 1993. The exhibition features artists from all over the region, and Korea has been represented from the start. The triennial is spread over two buildings (the QAG itself and the nearby Gallery of Modern Art which opened in 2006) which collectively are … [Read More]
Choi Jeong-hwa in Paris
If you can’t wait for the start of L’Année France-Corée later this month, you can catch an installation of one of Choi Jeong-hwa’s inflatable Lotus Flowers in La Villette Park in Paris until 13 September. Source: Korea Joongang Daily [Read More]
A brief tour of the Korean galleries at Art 14
Korean artists and galleries put on a good show at Art14, and got plenty of attention from the press. Time Out spotted (they were hard to miss) Choi Jeong-hwa’s huge collection of colourful pieces which looked like giant hubble-bubbles, installed at Hong Kong’s Pearl Lam Galleries. Also recommended in the same article was 43 Inverness … [Read More]
A Soldier’s Tale at Asia House
Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War, a new exhibition opens next week at Asia House: A Soldier’s Tale Exhibition – 130 Years of Friendship, 60 Years of Memories Presented by ISKAI Contemporary Art, at Asia House 8 – 20 July 2013 10.00-18.00 Mon – Sat A Soldier’s Tale is an … [Read More]
Bankable and emerging Korean artists at Art13: London’s latest international art fair
To a casual observer, there might already seem to be a wide range of art fairs in London. The season starts with the London Art Fair in January and finishes with the Frieze in October. In between there’s plenty of smaller shows to keep various parts of the market satisfied. So launching a completely new … [Read More]
Choi Jeong-hwa: a summer on the South Bank
The summer is over, and Chuseok approaches. The gay green baskets and balloons which adorned the drab concrete pillars beneath the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabth Hall during the Olympics period have been packed away. Here’s a reminder of what was there. Choi Jeong-hwa supervises the inflation of the spiral balloons for his installation Life-Life … [Read More]
Can you tell what it is yet? Choi Jeong-hwa installation takes shape on the South Bank
If it’s plastic baskets, it’s got to be a Choi Jeong-hwa installation. The outside of the Korean Pavilion at Venice, a chandelier in the centre of the Asia House staircase, or even a crazy space helmet for the band members (which included his son) playing at the first anniversary party of the opening of London’s … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #5: National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon
Saturday 1 May 2010. It’s the weekend, and Seoul Grand Park is busy. The funfair rides are full of fun-seekers, and there’s a queue to get in. There’s even a queue to get in to the car park of the National Museum of Contemporary Art: not, I would have thought, the most popular destination. But … [Read More]
Surprise and a sense of fun: the UK’s gateway to Korean culture
Jennifer Barclay visits the Korean Cultural Centre on its first birthday, experiences Choi Jeong-hwa’s exhibition, and meets the KCC’s director, Kyuhak Choi. It’s been a few months since I visited the Korean Cultural Centre, so I’m pleasantly surprised to be surprised by it again. I arrive to find stern armed guards in helmets staring at … [Read More]
Shine a Light on KCC’s first birthday
It’s coming up to Seollal, the start of the year of the Ox, and it’s also the KCC’s first birthday. It is a Korean tradition for the babe to dress up in a birthday hanbok and select symbolic items from a table laden with food and symbolic objects – the object that the infant selects … [Read More]