LKL paid a brief visit to Song Byeok’s exhibition at Amnesty International’s Shoreditch building on 9 May – a quick lunchtime hop from the day job in Canary Wharf. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the discussion evening at SOAS (we were flying back from our annual Korea visit at the time). But here are … [Read More]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 13)
2017 travel diary 9: Sewol victims remembered at the Ansan Street Arts Festival
Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 5 May 2017, 6:30pm. It is said that at the height of his efforts to build the Republic of Korea into an economic powerhouse, Park Chung-hee happened to be flying in a helicopter over western Gyeonggi-do. He looked out and saw what he considered to be a lot of under-utilised real estate, and decided … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Chosun Paintings — Beyond Borders, Beauty.
When going along to an exhibition of work by North Korean artists you’re not quite sure what to expect. David Heather’s collection that was exhibited at La Galleria in 2007 had something for all tastes, including propaganda posters; a genre, influenced by western painting styles, that might be dismissed as Juche kitsch; and Chosonwha, which … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Suh Do-ho — Passage/s
Visiting the Suh Do-ho solo show at Victoria Miro gallery is a very British experience. You queue to get in the front door, queue in the back yard to get to the second exhibition space and, once admitted to this gallery you queue again to get up close to the main exhibit. In the dozen … [Read More]
Gallery: Yeji Kim – Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things
Yeji Kim’s exhibition was the first to be held in the KCCUK’s refashioned space. Gone is the Multi-Purpose Space, demolished and reclaimed as an enhanced exhibition area. Screenings and lectures are now downstairs in the library, and one wonders how the KCC will cope with theatrical presentations in the future. Anyway, the larger space works … [Read More]
I, Kid – the opening performance
I, Kid is now the seventh exhibition by the Korean Artists Association UK to be held at the KCC, and their 9th performance. This year’s performance and exhibition aimed to give expression to a feeling of nostalgia for one’s childhood – and for most artists participating in the event, this meant their childhood back in Korea. Previous … [Read More]
Gallery: Korean Artists at London Art Fair 2017
A quick post to upload some of the photos of the various galleries exhibiting Korean art at this year’s London Art Fair (plus one gallery that I missed). Hanmi Gallery Jaye Moon Jaye Moon’s work had been getting a fair amount of attention – guerrilla-style installations of Lego dotted around the Business Design Centre and … [Read More]
LKL’s evening with Zion.T in Kentish Town
On the very rare occasions when I go to a big popular music concert I usually end up wondering why. A couple of years ago I queued for ages to get into the cheap seats (£77) for Big Bang’s gig in Wembley Arena. At least they didn’t have a support act, and worked hard to … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: KAA residency — I, Kid
For their January 2017 exhibition and performance at the KCC, the Korean Artists Association chose nostalgia for childhood as their theme. The text which follows is from the exhibition catalogue, with installation shots mainly by LKL. I, Kid. 우리어릴적 Childhood memories are special to all of us. They do not disappear, but are planted in … [Read More]
Festival Film review: Spirits’ Homecoming
Spirits’ Homecoming depicts the abduction and suffering of Korean girls forced into sexual slavery during the Pacific War, interweaving wartime trauma with the present-day lives of survivors. The narrative seeks release from unresolved grief and historical denial through a shamanistic ritual. LKL’s review is informed by a Q&A and panel session with the director. [Read More]
K-music review: Darkness Poomba at The Place, Euston
For the final event of K-Music 2016 we were introduced to the first UK visit of Modern Table headed by the multi-talented Kim Jae-duk, who choreographed the work as well as being an integral member of the dance troupe, though much of the time he was also front of stage singing or playing various wind … [Read More]
Gig review: Asian Chairshot + Danpyunsun and the Sailors @ RichMix
앤서방 reviews the second of 2016’s K-music festival gigs at Rich Mix Each year I look forward to visits from Korean indie musicians to the UK. Starting with ska-punk rabble rousers Crying Nut’s thrilling London show in 2006, over the years we have been treated to some of the most interesting, exciting and original acts: … [Read More]
In praise of Sancho and Flat Three
When you tuck into your bowl of warming chueotang muddy loach soup, with its tangle of green vegetables, shoots and mysterious fishy bits suspended in a tangy reddish-green-brown broth, the condiment you reach for to give it that extra taste sensation is a liberal sprinkling of sancho powder. The pungent, fragrant taste rounds out a … [Read More]
Festival film review: Yourself and Yours
Hong Sang-soo (홍상수) Yourself and Yours (당신 자신과 당신의 것, 2016) Review by Robert Cottingham. You can tell from the opening titles exactly the kind of film this is going to be. Black Korean calligraphy on a white background suggests an intelligent and possibly artistic film and the lively classical music hints at a sophisticated comedy on … [Read More]
BFI Festival Film Review: Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing
The Wailing is a punishing, relentlessly tense horror thriller that thrives on ambiguity and sensory overload. Na Hong-jin toys with belief, suspicion and endurance, delivering a prolonged roller-coaster of dread, brutal set pieces and exhausting climaxes that leave viewers shaken, uncertain and deeply unsettled. [Read More]
Review: Bongsu Park’s Crossing Over – Ritual of Grief
Bongsu Park’s two-part work, Crossing Over – Ritual of Grief, is an ambitious piece lasting for almost two hours which saw its first performance spread over two weekends in two different locations during August. It blends contemporary electronic music with traditional Korean music, and contemporary dance with traditional Korean dance such as Salpuri. Appropriately enough … [Read More]