The second book in the ‘My Life as an Architect’ series, looking at the Seoul buildings that have shaped the practice and outlook of the celebrated Korean architect Byoung Cho. Since founding his practice BCHO Architects Associates in Seoul in 1994, Byoung Cho has built a reputation as the key architect driving the expansion of … [Read More]
Booklist: Coffee Table
Books where visual content is a major part of the title’s appeal: for example, collections of photographs (historical or otherwise), maybe exhibition catalogues and the like.
Graphic Design From South Korea
A celebration of creativity from South Korea, compiled and published by Counter-Print. Featuring 19 design companies and their work including: Studio Fnt, Bohuy Kim, Hong Eunjoo and Kim Hyungjae, Son Ayong, Na Kim, Pa-i-ka, Corners Studio, Ordinary People, Shin Dokho, Sulki and Min, Bowyer, Jin & Park, Triangle, CFC, Everyday Practice, Hezin O, DDBBMM, Jaehoon … [Read More]
Seoul & Chemulpo Railroad: The First Railroad of Korea
From the description on Amazon: An account of the construction of the Seoul & Chemulpo Railroad, the first railroad of Korea, and its relationship to the murder of Queen Min. The book also includes a summary of the railroad’s place within the framework of the history of Korean-American diplomacy and is illustrated with over 200 … [Read More]
Printed in North Korea: The Art of Everyday Life in the DPRK
From the publisher’s website: Never-before-seen North Korea – a rare glimpse into the country behind the politics and the creativity behind the propaganda This incredible collection of prints dating from the 1950s to the twenty-first century is the only one of its kind in or outside North Korea. Depicting the everyday lives of the country’s … [Read More]
Pine Trees In Korea: Aesthetics and Symbolism
From the publisher’s website: The Pine Tree as an Iconic Symbol of Korea’s Natural Landscape Lush pine forests can be found throughout the Korean peninsula as the pine tree has successfully adapted to its natural environment over thousands of years. The evergreen pine forests have a different ambience and beauty from one region to another, … [Read More]
North Korea’s Public Face: 20th-century Propaganda Posters from the Zellweger Collection
This catalogue is published to coincide with the UMAG exhibition North Korea’s Public Face: 20th-century Propaganda Posters from the Zellweger Collection. For most people outside of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), it may come as a revelation that art is available in North Korea, or that it is a well-developed feature of national culture. … [Read More]
Made in North Korea: Graphics from Everyday Life in the DPRK
From the publisher’s website: North Korea uncensored and unfiltered – ordinary life in the world’s most secretive nation, captured in never-before-seen ephemera. Made in North Korea uncovers the fascinating and surprisingly beautiful graphic culture of North Korea – from packaging to hotel brochures, luggage tags to tickets for the world-famous mass games. From his base in … [Read More]
Missionary Photography in Korea: Encountering the West through Christianity
The written word, in Korean and English, constantly struggles to interpret and describe the remarkable period of Korean history from the late nineteenth century to 1945, generally considered as marking the watershed between pre-modernity and the beginning of modernity. This remarkable time saw the end of the 500-year-old Joseon dynasty, brutal colonial occupation by Japan … [Read More]
Korean War in Color: A Correspondent’s Retrospective on a Forgotten War
As if it weren’t bad enough that the Korean War is, for many in the West, a “forgotten war” wedged between the larger conflicts of World War II and Vietnam, its legacy has been conveyed largely in the medium of black and white photography, putting up yet another psychological barrier between the conflict and modern … [Read More]
Korea: Caught in Time
Once known as the “Hermit Kingdom”, Korea was first prised open by Japan in 1876; it opened to the West in 1883, and even today it remains a little-known country. Yet its distinct culture and history could not be more colourful or fascinating. Famous as one of the Asian Dragon economies, Korea has risen to … [Read More]
A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty
From the publisher’s website: A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty by Bae Yong Joon was a yearlong project that he undertook to learn more about traditional Korean culture from the unfledged yet earnest point of view of one Korean, and to record in a down-to- earth way what he learned and felt in the process. Bae chose 13 … [Read More]
Korea: As Seen by Magnum Photographers
From the publisher’s website: More than 230 full-color images by some of the world’s most-renowned photographers. South Korea, with its craggy hillsides, gnarled trees, and ancient temples, is steeped in tradition yet, at the same time, is thoroughly modern—the tenth-ranking industrial power in the world. Its capital city, Seoul, is one of the most populous … [Read More]
Contemporary Korean Architecture: Megacity Network
Seoul – one of the most densely populated urban areas on the planet. The tremendous pressure this megacity exacts on architecture in terms of spatial intensification, verticalization and amplification, challenges architectural stereotypes and promotes innovation. Megacity Network presents 32 projects by 16 representative Korean architects from the last ten years. Being more like mixtures and hybrids of … [Read More]