London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

A review of the Korean cultural year 2023

2023: a year when an environmental artist from Gwangju shared a hug with the King; four K-pop princesses went to Buckingham Palace and received honorary MBEs; and the tolling bell of Jirisan’s Daewonsa temple was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The year marked the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UK … [Read More]

Focus Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery: well worth a second look

This month the Saatchi gallery is playing host to several showcases of Korean art and technology. From 29 October, KOCCA is organising Oulim, a digital media art showcase that celebrates 140 years of UK Korea diplomatic relations; next week sees StART art fair which always has a strong Korean representation as its origins can be … [Read More]

Exhibition visit: Silent Mind, at Cromwell Place

Lloyd Choi has a regular stable of artists whose body of work you can enjoy at her gallery’s exhibitions: as the work becomes more familiar, it somehow becomes more desirable. But she does not stand still. She gradually introduces new artists into her roster – as she did with the minhwa-decorated ceramics of Lee Geum-young … [Read More]

Gallery: Hanji – Paper Compositions

The KCC’s summer exhibition was co-sponsored by the Hanji Development Institute, which is affiliated with the Hanji Theme Park in Wonju, Gangwon-do. Wonju was noted for its mulberry trees, and hence its hanji, in the Sillok from King Sejong’s reign and thus competes with other areas of Korea such as Mungyeong and Jeonju for the … [Read More]

Gallery visit: Jukhee Kwon in Expanding Horizons

October Gallery has represented Korean artist Jukhee Kwon for almost ten years now, and it was natural that when planning an exhibition in memory of their trustee Pamela Kember they should include work by the Korean artist as she exhibited in Asia House when Kember was director of Arts and Learning there. Somehow, during the … [Read More]

Anicka Yi: In Love With The World, at Tate Modern

When the Tate curatorial team were working with Korean American artist Anicka Yi on this most recent Hyundai commission for the Turbine Hall, no-one could have foreseen how topical these squid-like aerobes would seem. Hyundai Commission: Anicka Yi: In Love With The World Tate Modern, Turbine Hall 12 October 2021 – 6 February 2022 11 … [Read More]

Exhibition visit: Swimming Backwards, at Sid Motion Gallery

Artist Sunyoung Hwang had her works on display at Sid Motion gallery, London, between 21 June and 16 July 2021 as part of the group show ‘Swimming Backwards’ with fellow artists Emily Stollery and Henry Ward. The exhibition title itself has been inspired by Hwang’s homonymous painting, also displayed at the exhibition. The London-based artist … [Read More]

Gallery: Jewyo Rhii’s “Love Your Depot”

The 2020 KCC Artist of the Year exhibition featuring Jewyo Rhii was of course a victim of the intermittent Covid lockdown. Even though the exhibition was, at various times that I can no longer remember, theoretically open to the public, there wasn’t much public around in Central London to visit it. I managed to pay … [Read More]

A review of the Korean cultural year 2020

It would be an understatement to say that the cultural year 2020 has been markedly different from previous years. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the cultural scene, with most live events cancelled and event promoters falling back on the internet to provide us with our cultural fixes. Some of these attempts have … [Read More]