Two major South Korean cities – Gwangju and Busan – will be filled with art, with two biennales in the regions coinciding later this year. The 15th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, directed by French curator Nicolas Bourriaud, will be held from Sept. 7 to Dec. 1, titled “Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century.” The biennale will bring together 73 artists from 30 countries; among the artists are 11 Korean artists Literally meaning “the noise from the public place,

Arts & Design March 29, 2024

Cyril Kongo’s first graffiti exhibition in Seoul French-Vietnamese graffiti artist Cyril Kongo’s first solo exhibition in Seoul kicked off March 14 at Museum Wave, bringing together some 45 works from the artist's early days to his collaborations with luxury brands such as Chanel, Hermes and Maserati. The artist became interested in graffiti during his adolescent years in the French Congo and launched his career as a graffiti artist in Paris in 1986. The exhibition, “Graff

Culture March 29, 2024

When Seoul Auction held its inaugural auction in Hong Kong in 2008, there was only a “single goal” in mind -- to herald Korean art to the global art scene, introducing it to new collectors in Asia. For the past 16 years, the resolve has remained firm for Korea’s leading auction house. On Monday, at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the auction house kicked off a preview of its "Contemporary Art Sale” scheduled to take place in Seoul at 3 p.m., Friday. “We have put in so m

Arts & Design March 26, 2024

American artist Ian Cheng has returned to Seoul with his recent simulation work, “Thousand Lives,” at Gladstone Gallery, two years after his first solo museum exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art, where he showcased the integration of art and artificial intelligence. Upon entering the gallery, visitors encounter what appears to be a video game screen showing a turtle named “Thousand” wandering around a messy room. As visitors move closer to the screen and lean down, the

Arts & Design March 24, 2024

DOHA, Qatar -- As you near the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, a large-scale layered structure comes into sight. The museum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, is reminiscent of the “desert rose,” a crystal cluster of gypsum formed in the desert that indicates the presence of water. The museum, which opened in 2019, presents the story of Qatar from prehistoric times to the present, and also houses contemporary art collections that include some of the world’s most renow

Arts & Design March 23, 2024

Celebrating 100 years of operations, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington will present Korean artist Suh Do-ho’s Public Figures sculpture in the museum's Freer Plaza, where it will be installed for five years. The commissioned work will be unveiled April 27, becoming the first new sculpture to be displayed in front of the building in over three decades, the museum has announced. Suh has created a plinth for a monument with numerous small, individualized f

Arts & Design March 20, 2024

Sometimes one may desire to explore the type of art an artist previously pursued and examine how those past artistic practices have shaped their current art world. This notion underpins the recently unveiled “Edition R” project at Gallery Hyundai, a prestigious gallery in Seoul. “Incorporeal Landscape,” the first edition of "Edition R," invites three artists -- Kim Min-jung, Toh Yun-hee and Chung Zu-young -- who have had a relationship with the gallery spanning

Arts & Design March 18, 2024

More than 150 galleries based in South Korea will join the country’s oldest art fair in early April amid a slowdown in the art market. The 42-year-old art fair is the first major art fair of the year, providing a glimpse of the year ahead. The Galleries Art Fair 2024 will begin April 3 with a VIP and press opening and will run through April 7 at COEX in southern Seoul. The 153 galleries taking part encompass Korea’s leading galleries such as Gallery Hyundai, the Kukje Gallery and Hak

Arts & Design March 15, 2024

The National Folk Museum of Korea, located next to Gyeongbokgung in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, hosts a Korean folk performance every Saturday at 3 p.m. in the museum's theater. The performance is free and seating is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Gracing the stage Saturday is the Korean traditional dance "Spring, Bloom as Dance," a presentation that captures the essence of spring and a myriad of human emotions through dance, blending both newly choreographed and tra

Culture March 15, 2024

As you approach the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, the venue for South Korea's first solo exhibition of French artist Philippe Parreno, you may hear an unfamiliar sound, as if aliens were speaking to visitors. The sound comes from the 14-meter-tall tower “Membrane” installed on the outdoor deck of the museum. The structure functions as a control tower that breathes life into objects inside the museum. The cybernetic character is equipped with a sensing system that collect

Arts & Design March 14, 2024

A new case of allegedly forged artwork credited to Korean artist Lee Ufan is reported to involve a Korean politician’s wife. Kukmin Ilbo, a local newspaper, exclusively reported late Monday that the prosecution recently began investigating a case in which the spouse of a Korean politician seeking to run in the April general election is alleged to have traded fake paintings last year. The woman allegedly traded forged Lee Ufan paintings to raise election campaign funds for her husband. The

Arts & Design March 12, 2024

In architecture, molding is used to cover transitions between surfaces to smooth rough sections, and comes in various materials such as wood, stone or cement. Korean sculptor Hong Jung-pyo’s “Hidden Edge” series, which he began in 2003, draws inspiration from the architectural element of molding. The 48-year-old artist, who delved into sculpture after graduating from Hongik University, has unveiled new works created out of wood or steel molding at the exhibition “Differen

Arts & Design March 10, 2024

Ink wash is an art medium that young artists today mostly shun. A look at Bang Ui-geol’s ink wash paintings will make you realize why the centuries-old art form has been largely missing from today's contemporary art scene. The 86-year-old artist is presenting more than 100 recent ink wash paintings -- called “sumukhwa” in Korean -- created in his 70s and 80s at the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum in southern Seoul in an exhibition titled “Bang Ui-geol: Link to Creation.

Arts & Design March 4, 2024

P21, a contemporary art gallery based in Seoul, is showcasing work by German artist Jorinde Voigt and traditional Chinese paper-cut artist Xiyadie at its new space in Itaewon in Seoul. The latest exhibition marks the inaugural exhibition at P21's new space, which opened on Feb. 24 after moving from its original place that opened in 2017. “The former space had a strong character by having two separate storefront spaces but also posed limitations as they were very small. But I didn&rsqu

Arts & Design March 1, 2024

If you are a fan of art, you may be familiar with the neighborhood of Jongno-gu in Seoul, which is home to a cluster of galleries. The two leading galleries in the district -- the Kukje Gallery and Arario Gallery -- have opened exhibitions introducing contemporary Korean artists. Rising artists at Arario Gallery Painter Noh Sang-ho unveiled his new paintings, which he created based on images he found "floating in the online realm." Having collected, duplicated and transformed images

Arts & Design March 1, 2024