Night out at Seokjojeon

A tour of a Joseon-era (1392-1910) palace that includes coffee and desserts as well as a mini-musical exploring the life of King Gojong, the 26th Joseon king and the first emperor of the Daehan Empire, will return for a fall edition from Sept. 24 to Nov. 2. Seokjojeon, a hall at Deoksugung designed by British architect John Reginald Harding and constructed in 1910, is known as the first Western-style stone building in Korea. A guide will start tours by introducing the history of the two-story ha

Sept. 1, 2024

Seoul Fashion Week rethinks sustainability, latest tech

Sustainability is back in the limelight as the spring-summer 2025 Seoul Fashion Week kicks off its five-day run Tuesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, addressing the urgent concern shared by the fashion industry. One of the 21 brands showcasing their collections on the runway is Julycolumn led by Park So-young. The 41-year-old designer, who opened the previous fall-winter 2024 show in February, will feature pieces that use materials created using recycled plastic bottles. The materials com

Aug. 31, 2024

[Well-curated] French butter cake, gugak festival and Pachinko pop-up

The kouign-amann go-to Kouign-amann, a delicacy of Brittany in France meaning “butter cake,” is something like a caramelized croissant. This opulent pastry balances caramelized crust with light, moist layers with salted butter baked between, which crumble into sweet flakes upon a bite. One of the best places to try a slice is b. Patisserie at the mall complex Shinsegae Central City in Seocho-gu -- one of the three branches in South Korea operated by the San Francisco-based pastry sho

Aug. 30, 2024

Korea's cultural gems find new home in Daegu

Kansong Art Museum Daegu brings together several designated national treasures in the largest-ever show of national treasures in its collection. The museum's inaugural exhibition “Treasures of the Kansong Art Museum Daegu,” which opens Sept. 3, marks the opening of a new home for the country's oldest private museum. “It took nearly 10 years to open the museum in Daegu, and I am glad we can offer an opportunity to people outside Seoul to enjoy our collection of natio

Aug. 29, 2024

Yeongyeongdang Feast to take place at Changdeokgung

A reenactment of a royal feast showing how Joseon-era (1392-1910) officials celebrated events involving kings and their families will take place Sept. 4-5 at Yeongyeongdang in Changdeokgung, one of the five Joseon-era palaces in Seoul. The Yeongyeongdang Feast was first held by the eldest son of King Sunjo to mark Queen Sunwon’s 40th birthday in 1828 at Yeongyeongdang -- a hall Crown Prince Hyomyeong, the eldest son, set up during the same or the previous year to host royal celebrations. T

Aug. 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korean art history on view at Venice

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the history of the pavilion is being presented at Palazzo Malta-Ordine di Malta, a few minutes walk from the Giardini Garden, one of the main venues of the Venice Biennale. Entitled “Every Island is a Mountain,” the exhibition at Palazzo Malta-Ordine di Malta brings together 36 artists who have participated in the prestigious biennale over the last three decades, as well as archival material on the Korean Pav

Aug. 26, 2024

[What to see] Galleries gearing up for upcoming Frieze Seoul

As Frieze Seoul approaches, galleries are bustling with activity as they prepare to showcase their works to art enthusiasts at the annual art fair, which runs from September 4 to 7 this year. The nation's art scene is entering festive mode, with many exhibitions slated to open at the end of August. Notable examples of galleries embracing this celebratory atmosphere with their exhibitions, include Gallery Baton and Lehmann Maupin in Hannam-dong and Tang Contemporary Art Seoul in Gangnam. Dok

Aug. 24, 2024

Changgyeonggung Nighttime Feast to open during Chuseok

An interactive program where participants can experience what it was like at celebrations hosted by Joseon-era (1392-1910) heirs to the throne will be open to the public during the Chuseok holiday at Changgyeonggung. The Changgyeonggung Nighttime Feast, an annual event in its fourth year, will accept 90 people a day to take part in the feast as ranking officials in traditional attire, prepared by the Joseon-era palace in Seoul. Royal music performances and food will follow. Tickets purchases in

Aug. 23, 2024

'No divorce planned' between Frieze Seoul, Kiaf after five-year contract

Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul held a joint press conference in Seoul ahead of the collaborating fairs in early September, with all eyes on whether the local and global art fairs will continue their partnership as they pass the halfway mark of their five-year contract. “There is no such marriage that one continues on one hand while preparing for a divorce on the other,” said Hwang Dal-sung, president of the Galleries Association of Korea, on Thursday in Seoul. “I expect our part

Aug. 22, 2024

Traditional crafts and their contemporary adaptions to be shown at Changdeokgung

An exhibition of Korean artifacts and contemporary artworks from clothing to window wallpaper will take place Sept. 3-8 at Nakseonjae in Changdeokgung, one of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul. Around 50 intangible cultural heritage title holders and contemporary artists will show some 80 pieces at the “Korean Heritage Art Exhibition.” Clothing made using the “nubi,” or quilting, known for distinctive, tightly spaced rows of stitches, and celadon will be on

Aug. 21, 2024

Exhibition juxtaposes iron, glass -- two products of intense heat

A bowler-turned-blacksmith, Jeong Hyeong-goo finds it surreal to hear people call him an artisan, a description he says he will probably get used to by the time the two-month exhibition of his metal works ends in October. “The Craft of Temperature and Sound: A Guide to the Four Seasons,” which opens Thursday at the Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society showroom, is this year’s annual showcase of works by the Yeol artisan of the year and Yeol young craftsperson of the year,

Aug. 20, 2024

Busan Biennale sheds light on pirate utopias, Buddhist enlightenment

Busan Biennale 2024 kicked off Saturday in the port city, moving up the opening date from its regular fall opening as part of the Culture Ministry’s Korean Art Week centering around the upcoming Frieze Seoul. Curated by two artistic directors -- Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte -- the biennial took the theme of “Seeing in the Dark.” The curators drew upon the idea of pirate utopias as early forms of autonomous societies that served as a refuge for the socially or politically exile

Aug. 19, 2024

Arte Museum Busan features media art unique to port city

BUSAN – Arte Museum, an immersive media art museum operated by design company d’strict, has unveiled a new media art exhibition centered on nature in Busan, South Korea’s largest port city. The exhibition, which opened in July in the museum’s new 5,600-square-meter space in Yeongdo-gu, is a permanent display with some works being updated annually. The museum is the eighth and largest Arte Museum to date. The show features a series of captivating media artworks, with 16

Aug. 16, 2024

Photos by German missionaries show Korea century ago

A report containing photos taken by German missionaries that show what Korea looked like in the early 20th century has been made public, according to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. The announcement Monday came two years after the conclusion of a joint project by the state-run group and a local research institute on Korean church history to retrieve the 1,874 photos showing Korean people or landscapes held by St. Ottilien Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery in southern Germany.

Aug. 13, 2024

Find your hanbok at DDP

A variety of hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing, will be up for sale at an up-to 80 percent discount during a four-day hanbok expo opening Friday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Over 100 shops will be offering both traditional and modern hanbok varieties, including pieces for pets and accessories to go with the garment. Everything will be sold at a 30 percent discount on average, with some discounted up to 80 percent. The annual event, launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tou

Aug. 7, 2024

Conference to examine activist artists’ contribution to Korean independence

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will hold a conference Friday to explore independence activist artists ahead of Liberation Day next week, the state-run museum said Wednesday. The event will look at how Korean artists and their works boosted efforts towards achieving independence from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, with seven academics discussing their research in different fields. A keynote speech by Kim Jeong-in, a historian teaching at Chuncheon National University of

Aug. 7, 2024

ASEAN trade fair invites public for food, drinks

The annual ASEAN Trade Fair invites the public and prospective buyers to a four-day showcase of food and beverages enjoyed by the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that starts Thursday at Coex in Seoul. The annual fair, run by the ASEAN-Korea Centre since 2009 to expand business ties, will have three spaces set up for individuals dropping by and businesses looking for partnerships with participating ASEAN companies. The Exhibition Zone will focus on sauces and desserts,

Aug. 5, 2024

[Exclusive] Seoul Fashion Week to show world’s first stretchable display

The spring-summer 2025 Seoul Fashion Week, set for next month, brings to the runway something unlike anything seen since 2000 when the biannual show began: Stretchable display panels -- worn by models, who will tout them as the “next (thing) in fashion.” The designer behind this project is Lee Chung-chung, womenswear designer and founder of LIE, whose runway will be the finale of the five-day fashion week starting Sept. 3 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, with a demonstration of how panels

Aug. 4, 2024

Futura Seoul in Bukchon to open with inaugural Refik Anadol exhibition

A large-scale exhibition space in Seoul's Bukchon neighborhood is set to open early September with the inaugural solo exhibition of Turkish-American media artist Refik Anadol, whose work pioneers the aesthetics of machine intelligence. As exemplified by Anadol's exhibition, his largest held in Asia, the 1,200-square-meter space will function as an art space accommodating a variety of exhibitions and art events. The building, comprising exhibition spaces on the first and second floors

Aug. 2, 2024

Video artist Kim Hee-cheon asks, what is horror?

New work by video artist Kim Hee-cheon, acclaimed for his insight into the contemporary technological environment and culture, articulates uncertainty to viewers with his interpretation of the experience of horror. Entering the exhibition hall at Atelier Hermes, visitors will be baffled as nothing will be visible in the dark at first and all you will hear is the sound of someone speaking. Soon after, on two screens, a story will start to unfold evolving around Chanjong, the head coach of a hig

July 31, 2024