Here’s the official press release for the 2021 London Korean Film Festival. You can find the detailed schedule in a separate post. London Korean Film Festival 2021 4 November – 19 November 2021 After a mostly digital edition in 2020 the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) is pleased to be returning to cinema screens across […]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman
October events 2021
The Festival of Korean Dance was a nice warm-up for the Autumn season of events. Now for the music and film. Exhibitions Start Art Fair runs from 13 to 17 October Round and Around: the KCC’s early Autumn Audio-Visual Project with Jang Minseung and Jung Jaeil, lasts until 22 October. London Craft Week runs from […]
Book review: Kwon Yeo-sun – Lemon
Someone, somewhere, must have done a study of multi-person narratives in Korean fiction – novels which tell the same story (or different episodes involving the same characters) from two or more different perspectives. Two of the best-loved Korean novels in translation use the technique: Please Look After Mother and The Vegetarian. And this year, we’ve […]
Gallery: Chuseok celebrations at the British Museum
The early Autumn brought two simultaneous Chuseok celebrations in the London area on 18 September: the harvest fest in New Malden, organised by KBCE, and a special event at the British Museum. Over the past months we’ve been starved of live music, and it was great to be able to hear the Shilla Ensemble perform […]
Gallery: New Malden’s Chuseok Harvest Fest
The fickle Autumn weather smiled on New Malden’s Chuseok festivities last weekend. With pent-up demand resulting from lockdown and the lack of the usual independence day celebrations in mid-August, and the sunny weather beckoning people out onto the streets, the celebrations were almost too successful. LKL was there in time for the opening speeches and […]
K-music 2021: the official press release
Last year, despite the lockdown, the K-music festival presented is with a huge range of talent via its online concerts. Many of the acts that we heard for the first time last year will now be making their way over to London (and Norwich) so that we can experience them live. There’s a real feast […]
Korean interest at the 2021 BFI London Film Festival
The announcement of the BFI Film Festival schedule is usually a cue for me to renew my BFI membership so that I get access to tickets a week before they go on general release. After the huge disappointment of 2020, when no room could be found in the schedule for any Korean movies, 2021 has […]
Celebrate Chuseok with the KCCUK
Register soon: the available spaces are sure to be booked up fast! Experience authentic Korean customs with Chuseok Festival 2021 Sunday 26 September 2021 @KCCUK 11am – 6pm: Register for a one-hour time slot at Eventbrite (Slot 1) 11.00am – 12.00pm | (Slot 2) 13.00pm – 14.00pm | (Slot 3) 15:00pm – 16:00pm | (Slot […]
September events 2021
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 […]
TOUCH – a group project by ISKAI Art at Gallery 46
Looks like a really interesting group exhibition coming up – but only for a week. TOUCH Gallery 46 | 46 Ashfield St | London E1 2AJ | gallery46.co.uk 2 – 9 September 2021 | Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm The exhibition celebrates the spirit of Joie de vivre in the face of the pandemic. […]
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 […]
Umma’s Table: Yeon-sik Hong in conversation with Paul Gravett
For the KCC’s August literature event, cartoonist Yeon-sik Hong and the Comics curator Paul Gravett will join for a live virtual talk about Umma’s table. Following the talk, Yeon-sik Hong will respond to questions from the audience. Umma’s Table by Yeon-sik Hong, translated by Janet Hong Yeon-sik Hong in conversation with Comics curator Paul Gravett […]
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 […]