2011.12.22 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

OPEN MIND

Sungkok Art Museum, Sinmunno

To Sunday: This rare exhibition of jewelry design could help redefine the art by demonstrating that jewelry is not always made of gold, silver or precious stones.

The exhibition features more than 300 pieces of jewelry by 64 artists from 18 countries. Most of the pieces on display shatter our notions about the materials used to make jewelry or how it can be worn.

One definitive example is the “Wearable Object” by Dutch artist Lam de Wolf. The work covers the body of the wearer from the neck to below the knees and consists of a group of square wooden frames covered with textiles of various colors.

Admission is 3,000 won ($2.60) for adults. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed Mondays.

Go to Gyeongbok Palace Station, line No. 3, exit 7, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 737-7650, www.sungkokmuseum.com

THE MASTERS

Opera Gallery, Cheongdam-dong

To Dec. 31: The Paris-based Opera Gallery showcases 40 works by a myriad of modern art masters including Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the launch of its satellite gallery in Seoul.

Other famous artists with works in the show are Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro and Tom Wesselmann.

Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Go to Cheongdam Station, line No. 7, exit 9, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 3446-0070, www.operagallery.com

CITY WITHIN THE CITY

Artsonje Center, Sogyeok-dong

To Jan. 15: A collaboration between the gallery and the Gertrude Contemporary in Melbourne, Australia, the exhibition focuses on urbanism - something the two countries and other industrialized countries share.

The countries represented among the 17 participating teams of artists are Mexico, Lebanon and China as well as Korea and Australia.

One of the most enticing works is Melbourne-based artist Ash Keating’s “Zi Namsan Plus” (2011). The work is a computer graphic-generated image of a futuristic building on the slope of Mount Namsan in central Seoul. “Zi” in the title originates from the well-known Korean apartment brand Xi.

It is a parody of the renderings of apartment complexes in progress that hang on fences at construction sites, a common sight in Korea’s metropolitan areas.

Admission is 3,000 won for adults. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays.

Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 733-8945, http://artsonje.org

COURT PAINTERS OF THE JOSEON DYNASTY

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Hannam-dong

To Jan. 29: This exhibition features about 110 paintings by hwawon, or court painters, who were responsible for producing paintings for the state as employees of Dohwaseo, the state bureau of painting in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). According to Leeum, it is the first exhibition dedicated to the hwawon, who had low social status despite their role in the court.

The first section features paintings that hwawon created for the court and royal household. The highlight of the section is “Royal Palanquin Procession,” a nearly 10-meter-long (33-foot-long) painting depicting a procession of King Gojong and his family in the late 19th century.

The second section features paintings created by hwawon for private patrons, including noblemen and wealthy aristocrats. The section includes paintings of Taoist immortals by Kim Hong-do (1745-after 1806), regarded as one of the greatest masters of Korean art.

Admission is 7,000 won. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays.

Hangangjin Station, line No. 6, exit 1

(02) 2014-6900, www.leeum.org

ART & COOK

The gallery of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Sejongno

To Jan. 29: The exhibition features 22 local artists’ various works about food. Among the exhibits are “sweet” photos by Koo Seong-youn, which show peonies made of candy arranged in the style of Korean traditional folk paintings, and a big balloon installation, “Breathing Apple,” by Park Sung-yeon. The art work also includes Han Sun-kyung’s installation and performance “Artist Sun-kyung’s Ppang.” She makes ppang in the shape of her face just in the same way bungeoppang, or fish-shaped pastry, is made. Bungeoppang is a well-loved street food in the winter.

The exhibition will offer bakery classes. They include a “Cake of Vitellius” class that will help adults make and decorate Christmas cakes and “I Am Patissier, Too” class that teaches children how to make cookies.

Admission is 5,000 won for adults and students and 4,000 won for preschool children.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Gwanghwamun station, line No. 5, exit 8.

(02) 399-1152, 1022, www.sejongpac.or.kr

DAVID LACHAPELLE

Hangaram Design Museum, Seocho-dong

To Feb. 26: The retrospective of the photographer known for provocative celebrity portraits features about 160 pieces of photography compiled over the last 25 years.

His surreal, highly sexual, sometimes grotesque and over-the-top portraits of the world’s most talked about stars, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie, made LaChapelle a household name as a fashion and celebrity photographer.

This exhibition will display well-known photos in addition to recent pieces diverging from the celebrity theme.

The museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. except for the last Monday of every month. Tickets are 13,000 won for adults.

Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5.

(02) 566-0835, www.dlcseoul.com

WORK IN PROGRESS

Daelim Contemporary Art Museum, Tongeui-dong

To March 18: Even those who don’t know much about high fashion are likely to know of Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of French fashion house Chanel. But few will know that the 73-year-old designer, who is the force behind Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous brand, is in fact a renaissance man. Not only has he taken photographs of his own fashion collections since 1987, he has published books, done illustrations and recorded music. He even starred in an animated film for children two years ago.

This exhibition, a retrospective of some 400 photographs Lagerfeld has taken since 1987, highlights his photographic skills.

Admission is 5,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for students. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Monday.

Go to Gyeongbokgung Station, line No. 3, exit 3 and walk for five minutes.

(02) 720-0667, www.daelimmuseum.org

Information is culled from the galleries and other online sources.