I often find myself falling asleep during Hong Sang Soo films. But my two most recent experiences – a second viewing of HaHaHa as part of the KCC’s Moon So-ri season – and Nobody’s Daughter Haewon at the ICA, coinciding with its screening at the 57th BFI London Film Festival, have been exceptions. Part of … [Read More]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 26)
Exhibition visit: Night Break, at Mokspace
Night Break, the current show at Mokspace, compares two Korean photographers who work at night. One of Kim Shin-wook’s ghostly tree pictures, in which the tree is picked out in foreground brightness against a dark background, won him an award at this year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. At Mokspace we are able to see a … [Read More]
Gig review: Hyelim Kim, Byron Wallen + notes inégales
I’m sure most of you have been in the scenario of trying to get a drink in a busy bar, with an overstretched barman (or maid) not having a clue who’s next in the unspoken queue. He looks around, and whoever shouts loudest gets served. You wonder if you will ever get your thirst quenched. … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: The Others, at Hanmi Gallery
The current group show at Hanmi Gallery, entitled The Others, features artists who “question the nature of individuality, solitude and the unreal in a group setting. Rather than work to a strict theme, these ʻOthersʼ present what is individual and personal to them, from dreams to questions of ontology and the fear of death.” Movie … [Read More]
Conference report: ROK-UK Forum on Peaceful Unification of Korea and Human Rights in North Korea
Thanks to guest contributor Sinae Hong for this report from the conference earlier this week. The ROK-UK Forum on Peaceful Unification of Korea and Human Rights in North Korea was held at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel on Friday 19th November, 2013. The Cromwell Suite was full with well over 150 people, from British Veterans of … [Read More]
In pictures: the KAA’s 합 Collaboration exhibition at the KCC
The KAA’s excellent 합, 合, Collaboration exhibition has now been reviewed over on koreanartists.co.uk. Here are some photos from the exhibition, with text from the exhibition catalogue. Photos by LKL, except where credited otherwise. Click on the thumbnails for a bigger version of the image. Kang Soon-yul My entry for this exhibition is based on … [Read More]
Kim Minae’s playful disruptions, at HADA Contemporary
Kim Minae is best known for her puzzling structures: painstakingly constructed, they are concrete, purposeful-looking objects. But on second glance the objects clearly have no useful function. Thus, the strange skeletal telescope that was displayed at Futures Futures Future reflected your own eyeball back at you. In her group show at the National Museum of … [Read More]
President Park’s busy couple of days in London
A quick run-down of President Park’s activities in the UK last week. Itinerary provided by Buckingham Palace. Photos from the Blue House and the KCC. Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 Morning The President of the Republic of Korea is met privately by The Duke of York on behalf of The Queen. The Duke accompanies Her Excellency … [Read More]
The President’s City Banquet
For the last night of her State Visit to the United Kingdom, President Park attended a banquet at the Guildhall in the City of London as a guest of the Lord Mayor – in one of his last official duties before passing on his responsibilities to the new Lord Mayor two days later. Over seven … [Read More]
Expo visit: Hwang Jihae’s Hanging Garden of Billingsgate
One of the most prominent exhibits at the Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo at Billingsgate was not a hologram of Psy or an animated cartoon character, but a garden that was a full 22 metres long, dominating the space behind the main stage’s seating area. In an event designed to demonstrate the range of Korean … [Read More]
Expo visit: Crystallise and other media art at KBEE
It was a shame that there were only two days to enjoy the product of the huge amount of investment – both financial and in terms of time and effort – that went into the creation of KBEE 2013 and its associated events. The basement of Billingsate is a perfect venue for video art: huge … [Read More]
Expo visit: Korean design and cultural contents at KBEE
The Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo which coincided with President Park’s State Visit showcased contemporary Korean media art, K-pop, Korea’s premier garden designer and more. Also featured were key Korean designers: Kim Young-se (김영세) of Innodesign, whose designs reference the sleek black parallel lines of the trigrams in South Korea’s national flag, or the elegant … [Read More]
Expo visit: YG v CJ, and PSY everywhere, at Billingsate
Day 1 of the Korea Branding and Entertainment Expo, coinciding with President Park’s State Visit, was very much business-focused, with fashion and contents buyers browsing the many stalls. Day 2 was given over to the visual arts and musical entertainments. Downstairs, in the spectacular vaulted basement, was a huge exhibition of video art, celebrating the … [Read More]
The challenges of marketing and translating Korean literature explored at the KCC
Shouvik Datta reports from the Korean Literature Forum at the KCCUK on 15 October. It was an interesting and well-attended discussion at the London Korean Cultural Centre on October 15, well chaired by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. My own knowledge of Korean literature is confined to the modern classic “Three Generations”, by Yom Sang-seop, … [Read More]
The Unforgiven: a fleetingly interesting but ultimately dull debut for Yoon Jong-bin
The Unforgiven represents two hours of my life that I shall never get back. Two hours, but it felt like more. After an hour I was looking at my watch, wondering where the film was headed. And then, like Achilles and the tortoise, the remaining period of the film was divided in two, and at … [Read More]
Korean jewellers at the 2013 Goldsmiths Fair
The annual Goldsmiths Fair of jewellery and silverware usually has a few young Korean jewellers displaying their latest designs. This year they seemed to be outnumbered by the Japanese, but it was good to see Misun Won return for now her fourth appearance at this prestigious show. Despite the depressing economic times, the livery hall … [Read More]