2015.12.09 Museums & Galleries

OUT OF THE BOX

Kumho Museum of Art, Jongno District

To Sunday: In this show, six teams of Korean architects present installation works that test the limits and aesthetic potential of unusual building materials.

The materials include stainless steel plates used by architect Kim Chan-joong from the System Lab, flexible bamboo used by the Wise Architecture studio, and transparent corrugated plastic roofing sheets by Moon Ji Bang. The other participants are Joho Architecture, Nameless Architecture and Office 53427.

Admission is 4,000 won ($3.53) for adults. Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit No. 1, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 720-5114, www.kumhomuseum.com

NEW ROMANCE

MMCA Seoul, Jongno District

To Jan. 24: The exhibition features kinetic art, robot art and other new media art by 14 artists from Korea and Australia. Its title “New Romance” is a kind of homonym joke from the fact that many Korean readers took William Gibson’s classic 1984 Sci-fi novel “Neuromancer” for “New Romancer.”

Admission is 4,000 won, which covers entrance to the other shows going on at the Seoul museum. The museum is closed on Mondays. It is a 10-minute walk from Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit No. 1.

(02) 3701-9500, www.mmca.go.kr

AN HOMAGE TO KOREAN ARCHITECTURE: WISDOM OF THE EARTH

Leeum, Yongsan District

To Feb. 6: The exhibition started from a project to publish a photographic collection of Korean architecture. So it features the images of old Korea’s architectural masterpieces including Bulguk Temple, the shrine of Jongmyo and Changdeok Palace by six famous contemporary Korean photographers: Joo Myeong-duck, Bae Bien-u, Koo Bohn-chang, Kim Jae-gyeong, Seo Heun-kang, and Kim Do-kyun.

But it is not only a photo exhibition. The museum has juxtaposed the photos of iconic buildings with the paintings of them by old masters, old maps of the sites where they were built and 3-D-scanned images and models. For example, the 18th-century artist Kim Yoon-gyeom’s painting that depicts Haein Temple is on display together with Joo’s photos of the temple and the visualization of the research on the arrangement of the temple buildings through a three-dimensional model by the Architectural History Lab of Seoul National University.

Admission is 5,000 won for adults. Admission for elementary, middle and high school students is free on weekdays. The museum is closed on Mondays. Go to Hangangjin Station, line No. 6, exit 1, and walk for five minutes.

(02) 2014-6901, www.leeum.org

FLOWERS, BIRDS AND ANIMALS IN KOREAN PAINTING: EMBRACING NATURE

Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Jung District

To March 27: The exhibition, Kansong Art Museum’s fifth show at the DDP, includes about 80 paintings of flowers, birds and animals from the museum’s collection. The paintings are by some of the biggest names in the Korean art world from the late Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). They include Shin Saimdang (1504-51); Yun Du-seo (1668-1715); Jeong Seon (1676-1759); Kim Hong-do( 1745-1806); and Sin Yun-bok (1758-unknown).

One of the highlights is “Yellow Cat Romps Butterfly” by Kim. In the painting, a chubby, furry kitten, looking curious and mischievous, turning its head to gaze at a black butterfly. But it is not only a cute animal painting. In ancient Korea, cats represented the age of 70 while butterflies stood for the age of 80. So, the painting could well have been a birthday present, wishing the recipient a long, healthy life.

Admission is 8,000 won. The venue is near exits 1 and 2 of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station (line Nos. 2, 4, and 5).

02-2153-0000, www.ddp.or.kr or www.kansong.org

HORIM MASTERPIECE 100

Horim Art Center, Gangnam District

For an indefinite period: Horim Museum is home to some 15,000 artifacts, including eight state-designated National Treasures, 52 Treasures and 11 city-designated cultural properties. The museum’s Sinsa-dong branch, the Horim Art Center, on Nov. 10, launched a new permanent exhibition that lets people enjoy many of these ancient Korean masterpieces at once.

The show includes three national treasures including the “White Porcelain Lidded Jar with Plum and Bamboo Design in Underglaze Cobalt Blue” (National Treasure No. 222) and 19 treasures including “Gilt-Bronze Standing Sakyamuni Buddha at Birth” (Treasure No. 808). The items on display at the exhibition will partially change every six months.

Admission costs 8,000 won. The museum is closed on Sundays. Take bus Nos. 145 , 440 or 4212 and get off at the Horim Art Center stop.

(02) 541-3523~5, www.horimartcenter.org