The 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 has given rise to a number of commemorative events this year. In November it was the turn of BAKS to present their own event at Asia House – an all-day seminar entitled Reflections on War and Peace: Sixty Years after the Korean War. … [Read More]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 38)
Mysterious Creature: Jang Jin at the London Korean Film Festival
Director Jang Jin is sometimes referred to as “The Future of Korean Cinema” but also as a “Mysterious Creature”. Nyomi Anderson tells us more. This year’s London Korean Film Festival featured a retrospective of the films of writer-director Jang Jin. Jang began his career in theatre before making his first film was The Happenings, which … [Read More]
Korean art – two millennia of globalisation
“Why did it have to end so early?” asked a member of the audience at the conclusion of the British Museum’s study morning “Korea at the Crossroads” last weekend, 13 November. Strictly, the event had overrun by about five minutes, but you knew what she meant. More to the point would have been the question … [Read More]
Green Days: a charming look at the dreams and uncertainties of youth
In the London Korean Film Festival there is always a selection of long and short animations to showcase that part of the Korea motion picture industry which otherwise does not get much screen time. This year, the organisers made a controversial decision: to promote the main animation feature as “a Korean cousin to Studio Ghibli … [Read More]
Dr Yeon’s introduction to Korean
Not only am I lucky enough to be studying Korean for free at the Korean Cultural Centre in London, but I managed to obtain a ticket to a special lecture (again free) on the Korean Language by Dr Jaehoon Yeon, Senior Reader in Korean Language and Literature, SOAS, on Wednesday, 27th October 2010. The Centre … [Read More]
Kim Ji-woon’s I Saw the Devil: more than just gore?
Aashish Gadhvi speaks on behalf of three LKL reviewers: Kim Ji-woon’s latest is a disappointment. Hype can be a film’s best friend or its worst enemy. In the case of some films it has worked (The Blair Witch Project) and in the case of others it has backfired spectacularly (Star Wars Prequels), but the fact … [Read More]
The LKFF 2010 is off to a sizzling start
The London Korean Film Festival is now more than 10 years old, and this is the 5th year of its existence under the organisation of the Cultural Centre. It seems to get bigger every year. From its early home in the Prince Charles Cinema, it moved to the more prestigious venue of the Barbican for … [Read More]
The Present from the Past auction
The cannier punters at the KCCUK’s Present from the Past auction tonight (8 October) were bidding for newly-announced Venice Biennale artist (http://bit.ly/cOE05q) Lee Yong-baek # [Read More]
Little Angels pay tribute to war veterans
It’s a mammoth and very expensive exercise. The Little Angels, the cute young troupe of dancing girls sponsored by the Unification Church, are touring all 16 of the UN countries who supplied combat troops to defend the Republic of Korea against the invading DPRK forces 60 years ago, displaying once again Korea’s gratitude to the … [Read More]
Time and Light: Korean designers at 100% Design London
Time seemed to be one of the themes of the various Korean designers on show at the 100% Design London exhibition at Earl’s Court. Cha Il-gu graduated from London’s Royal College of Art and at last year’s show was selected as a “Next Generation Design Leader” and a “Most Promising Talent” at 100% Future. He … [Read More]
LKL reports from the Thames Festival 2010
2010 is Korea’s fourth year of participation in the Thames Festival, and each year the participation seems to get more ambitious. This year, the location moved from Tower Bridge, where there are possibly fewer punters strolling by, to the high-profile Jubilee Gardens, under the shadow of the London Eye, where the crowds are much more … [Read More]
Variations on Jang Sun-woo
Tony Rayns tells us in his KOFIC book about Jang Sung-woo that he once interviewed the famous director naked in a jjimjilbang. Rayns’s documentary film about Jang, entitled the Jang Sung-woo Variations, is bookended by extracts from the interview, with Jang being given a relaxing back massage; and in between are other extracts of the … [Read More]
Another Sun: It’s educational, but it’s not for foreigners
I was chatting to my companion during the interval of Another Sun, the big-budget Korean musical, at Sadlers Wells last night. “It’s educational,” she said, “but I don’t think it’s for foreigners.” I pressed her on the educational point. The plot of the musical is said to be based on the Korean foundation myth about … [Read More]
Concert notes: Uangel at the KCC
When I heard that Uangel (http://uangelvoice.com), a Korean popera group, was going to be performing at the Korean Cultural Centre I jumped at the chance to go. Recently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and on a humanitarian tour of hospitals, this last minute addition to their tour was a real treat. The hall at the … [Read More]
Curating Creations, Perceiving Patterns and Building Bonds
Beccy Kennedy reviews the Invisible Bonds exhibition at the KCC The latest exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre, Invisible Bonds, explores the unobvious unions which continue to develop between Korean artists and British people, places and spaces. It is the annual show from the Korean Artists Association UK and it aims to build on and … [Read More]
Photos from the KAA calligraphy workshop
Great pics by Jeff Rollason of KAA’s Invisible bonds exhibition and calligraphy workshop. Here’s the slideshow on his Flickr account: http://bit.ly/c2hI0V # [Read More]