At the various London art college degree shows, you can usually find a Korean artist or two whose work you have already seen at one or more of the galleries and group shows around town. And you’ll also find maybe one or two people you’ve missed up until now. At the Slade MFA / MA … [Read More]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 28)
Exhibition visit: Only One – another pleasing show from Mokspace
Once again Mokspace’s most recent exhibition, a group show by Korean and UK-based jewellers, presented a range of desirable and reasonably affordable work. From the playful birds of Yu Jin Lee and rabbit-heads of Yeseul Seo to the work of Hyeju Nam which looks like eccentric Gerard Hoffnung-style musical instruments; from the colourful, rustic tubes … [Read More]
The Berlin File – so slick it’s really rather dull
A plot which involves a dodgy international arms deal, a secret multibillion dollar bank account belonging to the extended family of Kim Jong-il and a power struggle in the wake of Kim Jong-un’s succession. A list of characters which includes operatives from the CIA, Mossad, and both North and South Korean security agencies, plus would-be … [Read More]
Tireni to represent UK in “Quiz on Korea” final
It was a high-pressure day, with more than a dozen competitors hoping for the chance to travel to Seoul to take on winners from around the world on KBS TV. A taxing multiple choice test, supplemented by a brief interview, whittled the contestants down to a final five, for a quick-fire live quiz of 25 … [Read More]
A Soldier’s Tale opening pays tribute to the sacrifice of the veterans
Three years ago, the KCC hosted a special exhibition commemorating 60 years after the start of the Korean War. 40 Korean artists were invited to submit works inspired by themes related to the war, and these works were then auctioned in aid of British war veterans. This year is 60 years after the Korean War … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Kimsooja – To Breathe: Bottari, Venice 2013
In Kimsooja’s work commissioned for the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year it was the pavilion itself that was the installation. The Korean Pavilion, designed by Seok Chul Kim and Franco Mancuso is the most recent of the 25 national pavilions to have been constructed in the Giardini and opened for business in … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Who is Alice? – Works from the MMCA collection at Spazio Lightbox, Venice
In previous years, the Venice Biennale has featured a number of Korea-related shows as collateral events scattered around the islands, giving a dedicated visitor the opportunity to walk through the backstreets and explore the vaporetto network while enjoying new artworks. In 2013 most of the Korean artists were gathered together in one place, in an … [Read More]
The sticky craft of lacquerware: Korean crafts at Collect 2013
In our back garden we used to have some Rhus trees. Their leaves go a beautiful red colour in autumn, and their small scale fits well with the shrubs around them. But they’re a bit floppy and every now and then we had to lop a bough off, or even cut one down completely. And … [Read More]
Gig review: Jang Kiha & the Faces + Yi Sung Yol at the Scala
The advertised start time for the gig was 7pm, and at 8pm there was still a huge queue at the door simply to get in. Clearly the administration of rock concerts at the Scala is not bound by the same conventions as a classical concert at a mainstream venue. Inside, the down-at-heel décor is probably … [Read More]
Concert review: Geomungo Factory at the Cadogan Hall
Geomungo Factory was the second fusion concert as part of the K-Music 2013 Festival. The cool air conditioning inside the Cadogan Hall provided a welcome respite from the muggy atmosphere outside; and the clean, modern lines of the outfits worn by the four Geomungo Factory members promised that we were not about to hear a … [Read More]
Hannibal Lecter plays Paganini – definitely NOT part of K-Music 2013
Thanks to the pre-concert publicity, anyone going to an Amadéus Leopold gig knows they are in for something to entertain the eyes as well as the ears. So it came as no surprise that among the gothic paraphernalia on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall for his performance as part of Yoko Ono’s Meltdown … [Read More]
Concert review: National Orchestra of Korea gives K-Music 2013 a triumphant start
The UK debut of the National Orchestra of Korea at the Barbican on 14 June launched the 2013 K-music festival. In his interview with LKL the day before, the orchestra’s musical director Won Il had promised sounds that a British audience had never heard before. And the orchestra certainly delivered on that promise. The 60-piece … [Read More]
The Hidden Cost of Prosperity – a brave and rewarding exhibition at the KCC
Probably the bravest and among the most thought-provoking exhibitions that the KCC has hosted in its five year history is The Hidden Cost of Prosperity, a look at the darker side of the Miracle on the Han – the exploited underclass. The exhibition was one of the winners of the KCC’s Call for Curators, a … [Read More]
Collaboration and adaptation for inspiration – the second SOAS Years of Radical Change conference
SOAS’s second Years of Radical Change conference, held 31 May – 1 June this year, expanded its remit to deal with Korean screen culture in its widest sense. We are used to conferences about South Korean films, but this year TV and video games were among the topics discussed. And on the second day of … [Read More]
Samulnori, sanjo and jazz from the SOAS Korean Drumming Society
The SOAS Korean Drumming Society gave an interesting and varied recital in the Lucas Lecture theatre on Monday 3 June. After a daegeum sanjo from Kim Hyelim, accompanied by Keith Howard on changgo, we had a very effective jazz improvisation by Choi Jeung-hyun (changgo) with Shzr Ee Tan (piano) using two samulnori rhythms, the daseureum … [Read More]
Engage Korea conference – a welcome perspective on North Korea
When is a good time to hold a conference on engaging with North Korea? When the organisers set the date for the 4 May conference they couldn’t possibly have known the heightened level of tension that the peninsula was going to go through in the early months of 2013. Mainstream press coverage has veered from … [Read More]