I’ve just received further information on the artists whose work will be on display in London this summer. It’s the top artists in the DPRK, and there should be something for everyone. The artists are: Jong Chang Mo (정창모) (People’s Artist, Kim Il Song Prize) – Korean Painting Son U Yong (선우영) (People’s Artist, Kim … [Read More]
Visual arts, crafts, design, fashion (page 109)
DPRK art exhibition coming to London
With commendable forward publicity for a Korean cultural event, I hear of an exciting DPRK art exhibition coming to London in July and August this year. From 18 July to 31 August at a gallery space just off Trafalgar Square, it’s early days yet to have full details. But we know that DPRK artist Pak … [Read More]
Catering for the Audience – a review of Sora Kim’s Melting Alaska
Sora Kim — Melting Alaska, BALTIC, Gateshead 14 February – 29 April 2007 Review by Beccy Kennedy Whilst munching on spicy chorizo stotties — a dish given the name Smoky Mountain — we browsed the inimitable menus, commented on the amorous musical medley and read the bright red words stuck to the windows, trying to … [Read More]
“Experience” the mass games without leaving London
Andreas Gursky: new work White Cube Gallery, 23 Mar – 5 May 2007 One day my fairy godmother will wave her wand and magic me an all-expenses paid trip to Pyongyang to see the Arirang festival. Ever since seeing Dan Gordon’s film A State of Mind I’ve been wanting to experience the spectacle live. The … [Read More]
The last days of Daechuri
As a follow up to my previous post linking to Bum Lee’s project, here’s a link to a short film made by Chris and Shirley Gelken at Daechuri last weekend. Well worth a look. There’s some great written coverage and photos on their blogs. A sample of Chris’s photos is shown above. See the full … [Read More]
The art of Daechuri
Many thanks to David Kilburn for pointing out a video project by Bum Lee, animation artist and illustrator. It’s a short film that he shot at Daechuri, a farming village which is to be evacuated to make way for the expanded US base at Pyongtaek. David’s take: I found it creative both in film making … [Read More]
Through the Looking Glass closes soon
It’s your last chance to catch the Through the Looking Glass exhibition at Asia House. Quite by chance, and unfortunately making no reference to the show, the Times over the weekend featured one of the artists in a weekly column highlighting what’s hot on the web arts-wise. Sweet Dreams Crayon drawings by small children are … [Read More]
Francesca Cho at East @ West Wing festival
Francesca Cho‘s work will be on display at the East @ West Wing British East Asian Arts Festival in Slough from 3 March to 6 April. Cho has been established in London for more than ten years and her work has been widely shown internationally, including Seoul, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Madrid and, … [Read More]
Feminism and women artists in Korean art
Lecture 5 in Jiyoon Lee’s Art & Society in Modern Korea course. Big caveat: a very simplistic and immature summary, prepared by someone with limited knowledge or understanding of these things, of a very brief lecture covering a huge topic. Treat with extreme caution. Posted here as a “stub” (in Wiki terms) which I might … [Read More]
No Wonjogyoje, but lots of bum cleavage
You can’t use refined language when it comes to Seunghee Kang’s work. It’s vibrant, lively, robust, and anything but refined. The colours leap out at you, the images full of fun but also somehow disturbing. And it’s difficult to know what to make of them. The centrepiece of the “Odd Couple” show in Bermondsey is … [Read More]
The Odd Couple at Gallery Yujiro
Seunghee Kang, creator of the “farting Mrs Blair” embroidery at the Still Dynamics show at the Jerwood Space in December, is one half of the Odd Couple currently showing at Gallery Yujiro in Bermondsey. Here’s the press release. The Odd Couple 16 February – 21 April 2007 Gallery Yujiro | Studio Unit A502 Tower Point … [Read More]
ARCO Madrid: final programme details
Here are the final details for everything that’s going on in Madrid this month. Korean events at ARCO Korean galleries at ARCO Complete ARCO social programme, including non-Korean stuff, but this is a day-by-day calendar, giving useful data such as timings of all the Korean films. Note that poet Ko Un will be making an … [Read More]
The Leeum Art Gallery, Seoul
A brief walk from Hangangjin subway stop (line 6) near Itaewon is the Leeum Gallery, set up by Samsung. No expense has been spared on the building itself, with prestigious foreign architects engaged to build it, and an impressive collection of artworks. The building itself is very spacious, and has three main sections. Older artworks … [Read More]
Song from the roof-top
Bada Song’s Installation Piece at “So-Called Life” exhibition, Camberwell College of Arts, 11 January – 9 February 2007. Review by Beccy Kennedy The photographs and installation art works displayed in the foyer of the Camberwell College of Arts for “So-called Life” are challenging of our expectations of the exhibition space and also perhaps of our … [Read More]
Sora Kim: Melting Alaska, at Baltic Gateshead
Korean artist Sora Kim creates new experiences of everyday occurrences. Through gentle interventions Kim engages with local communities and encourages audience involvement. In her project for BALTIC, the artist explored the possibilities of translating personal stories from visitors into a project for the Café Bar. Visitors to BALTIC answered a questionnaire about their personal histories, … [Read More]
The Rise of the Korean Art Market
The Korea Times records how the Korean Art market is beginning to boom. Perhaps carried on the coat-tails of the ebullient Chinese art market, prices for major Korean artists are edging up. Lee Ufan is one of the hot artists, and also Park Soo-keun, Kim Whanki and Chang Uc-chin. And last year Elton John made … [Read More]