2014.9.3 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES open for the Chuseok holiday
Calligraphy Art Museum of Seoul Arts Center, Seocho District
To Sept. 14: Seoul Arts Center is presenting an exhibition of works by contemporary artists inspired by Silla kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) scholar Choi Chi-won. The artists come from various genres: performers, sculptors, painters and calligraphers all joined together to break through the barriers of artistic genres.
Tickets are 5,000 won ($4.91) for adults.
The museum is closed on Sept. 8 (Monday) but is open on other days during the Chuseok holiday period (Sept. 6, 7, 9, 10) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit No. 5 and walk for five minutes.
(02) 580-1300, www.sac.or.kr
THE GREAT ARTISTS: RENOIR TO DAMIEN HIRST
Hangaram Art Museum of Seoul Arts Center, Seocho District
To Sept. 17: “The Great Artists” features 104 works by 53 artists from the collection of the Paris-based Opera Gallery.
The artists encompass 19th-century Impressionists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 20th-century Surrealists such as Salvador Dali and Joan Miro, and hot contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst.
Admission is 13,000 won for adults.
The museum is open through the Chuseok holiday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit No. 5 and walk for five minutes
(02) 1899-5156, www.artist20c.com
ADMIRATION FOR WHITE PORCELAIN
Seoul Museum, Jongno District
To Sept. 21: Contemporary artworks inspired by moon jars and white porcelain pottery that originated from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are the focus of this exhibition.
The show, featuring 56 works by 27 local artists, is divided into three sections.
Section one is for modern-era painters, including the important abstract painters Kim Whanki (1913-74) and Chung Chang-sup (1927-2011) while section two is for contemporary artists, for example the photographer Koo Bohnchang.
The third is for contemporary ceramists.
Admission is 9,000 won for adults.
The museum is closed on Sunday Sept. 7. It is open for the rest of the Chuseok holiday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Take bus Nos. 1020, 1711, 7016, 7018, 7022 or 7212 to the Jahamun Tunnel stop.
(02) 395-0100, www.seoulmuseum.org
KOREAN BEAUTY: TWO KINDS OF NATURE
MMCA Seoul, Jongno District
To Sept. 28: This exhibition, based on the collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), is about Korean artists’ correspondence with and interpretations of nature.
The exhibition is divided into three parts - Gallery 1, Gallery 2 and the space linking both. Gallery 1 focuses on the works in which Korean modern artists, mainly abstract painters and sculptors, try to visualize the essence and spirituality of nature.
The area that connects Gallery 1 and 2 could be the highlight of this exhibition, as it makes good uses of the space of an extraordinary high wall.
Black-and-white photography is featured in this in-between area, most of which is representational but, at the same time, has abstract qualities.
Viewers are then led to Gallery 2, where they can see contemporary artists’ paintings of colorful urban landscapes.
Admission is free from Sept. 6 to 10 to celebrate the Chuseok holiday.
The museum is open throughout the holiday. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 7, 8 and 9. Opening time is extended to 9 p.m. on Sept. 6 and 10.
The museum is a 10-minute walk from Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit No. 1.
(02) 3701-9500,
www.mmca.go.kr
THE TREASURES OF KANSONG
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Dongdaemun District
To Sept. 28: This is the first exhibition of the Kansong Art Museum’s collection outside the museum itself. The exhibition’s organizers recently replaced one-fifth of the 100 artifacts on display. Among the new works is “A Beauty” by Joseon painter Shin Yun-bok, one of Korea’s most beloved paintings that has inspired many films and television shows.
Tickets for adults are 8,000 won.
The exhibition is closed on Monday Sept. 8 but is open for the remainder of the Chuseok holiday. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closing time is extended to 9 p.m. on Sept. 10.
Go to the Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, subway line Nos. 2, 4 or 5, exit No. 1.
(02) 2266-7077, www.ddp.or.kr
PICASSO AND GREAT ARTISTS
Daejeon Museum of Art, Seo District of Daejeon
To Oct. 9: The show details Western art history between the early 19th to mid-20th century, represented by works from the Phillips Collection based in Washington, D.C. The show’s 85 works by 68 artists are from the U.S. museum.
The highlight is Pablo Picasso’s 1901 painting “Blue Room,” not only because it is regarded as one of Picasso’s early masterpieces from his so-called Blue Period, but also because it recently triggered public interest with the news that a hidden painting has been discovered beneath the top layer of the canvas.
Admission is 12,000 won for adults.
The museum is open throughout the five-day Chuseok holiday.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The closing time is extended to 9 p.m. on Sept. 10(Wednesday).
Go to Daejeon Station, take bus 606 and get off at Daejeon Arts Center stop.
(042) 483-3763, www.greatartists.co.kr
EDVARD MUNCH AND THE MODERN SOUL
Hangaram Art Museum of Seoul Arts Center, Seocho District
To Oct. 12: This is the first retrospective of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944) in Korea.
The exhibition of the expressionist and general modern art pioneer includes the lithograph version of Munch’s iconic “The Scream” and 98 other pieces by the artist, including paintings like “The Kiss,” “The Dance of Life” and “Starry Night.” The exhibits are on loan from the Munch Museum in Oslo.
Admission is 15,000 won for adults.
The exhibition is open through the Chuseok holiday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit No. 5. Walk for five minutes.
1666-3329, www.munchseoul.com
JORDAN MATTER: MAGICAL MOMENT
Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, Jongno District
To Oct. 26: This is the second solo show at the museum of New York-based photographer Jordan Matter. The first, one year ago, focused on his collaboration with dancers.This time, Matter presents about 60 photographs produced in collaboration with acrobats, as well as dancers. The photos mainly capture the moments when the performers are in the air in various elegant or humorous poses as if they are beyond the law of gravity.
Admission is 9,000 won for adults. A 2,000 won discount is offered to visitors between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 6, 7 and 9.
The museum is closed on Monday Sept. 8. It is open for the rest of the Chuseok holiday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit No. 1.
(02) 736-4371,
www.savinamuseum.com
KOREA ARTIST PRIZE 2014
MMCA Gwacheon, Gyeonggi
To Nov. 9: “Korea Artist Prize” features the four candidates - Koo Donghee, Kim Shinil, Noh Suntag and Chang Jia - of the Korea Artist Prize, which is co-sponsored by the MMCA and SBS Foundation.
Koo reconstructs accidents and events based on materials she collects from TV, the Internet and her own surroundings. Kim studies the limits of texts through combining installations and sculptures of texts.
Noh presents photos of people taking photos amid streets demonstrations, questioning photography’s power and limit as a tool of reflecting and changing society. Chang deals with social taboos related with the human body through performance art, video, installation and photography.
Admission to the exhibition is free from Sept. 6 to 10 to celebrate the Chuseok holiday.
The museum is open throughout the holiday. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closing time is extended to 9 p.m.
Go to Seoul Grand Park Station, line No. 4, exit No. 4 and take the shuttle bus.
(02) 2188-6114, visit www.mmca.go.kr
SEMA BIENNALE MEDIACITY SEOUL 2014
Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), Jung District
To Nov. 23: The eighth edition of the Mediacity Seoul biennale has the curiously exciting title “Ghosts, Spies and Grandmothers.”
“Through the keywords, this exhibition will retrospect on contemporary Asia,” Park Chan-kyong, curator of the main exhibition, wrote in an introductory note on the biennale’s website. “Ghosts stand for the forgotten history and tradition of Asia, spies symbolize the memories of the Cold War, and the grandmothers are metaphors of ‘women and time.’”
Under these topics, 42 artists from 17 countries will present video art, photography and installation works.
The works include a film by Irish artist Jesse Jones about the spectre of ideology and Greek-British artist Mikhail Karikis’s video and sound installation about haenyeo, the elderly female sea divers who live on Jeju Island.
Admission is free.
The museum is open throughout the Chuseok holiday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Go to Seoul City Hall Station, line No. 2, exit 10 and walk five minutes.
(02) 2124-8988, http://mediacityseoul.kr
REALLY?
Arario Museum in Space, Jongno District
For an indefinite period: This is the inaugural exhibition of Arario Museum in Space, which opened on Sept. 1 in the iconic ivy-covered brick building designed by architect Kim Swoo-geun. Last year, Arario, one of Korea’s leading commercial galleries, purchased the former office building of the troubled architectural firm Space, which was founded by Kim. Space’s intricately linked small areas and spiral staircases remain in their original state, while artworks are wittily installed in unexpected locations.
About 100 pieces by 43 artists are on display with the general principle of only one artist in each room.
One room houses Korean-American video art pioneer Nam June Paik’s works, while British artist Marc Quinn’s famous - or notorious - “Self” portrait made of his own frozen blood is found in another room.
Admission is 12,000 won for adults. Children under 10 not allowed.
The museum is open throughout the Chuseok holiday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sept. 10, closing time is extended to 10 p.m.
Go to Anguk subway station, line No. 3, exit No. 3 and walk for three minutes.
(02) 736-5700, www.arariomuseum.org
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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