Blue House to host art exhibits, concerts to celebrate second year since opening

The Blue House, or Cheongwadae, opened its doors to the public since May 2022. [YONHAP]

Art and music will fill the Blue House grounds next month to celebrate the second anniversary of the former presidential residence opening up to the public.

Special exhibitions "Handshakes for Freedom" and "Children Drawing Hope: the exhibition of Ukrainian children's art" will begin on Wednesday, both shedding light on the diplomatic achievements and value of peace pursued by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

"Handshakes for Freedom" will display records of the last two years of diplomatic efforts made by Korean officials, along with media art created on the same subject. A special corner will include portraits of the heads of different countries around the world, recreated through AI technology.

The exhibition will take place through July 29. Other video art and hands-on events can be booked through the official website.

The "Children Drawing Hope" exhibition sends the message of hope and anti-violence through 150 pieces of art created by children in Kyiv who have been suffering due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The exhibition was requested by the culture ministry of Ukraine after President Yoon's visit to the country last July, and has been co-organized by Unicef Korea.

The exhibition will run through June 3.

A concert organized by KBS will take place on May 7 at the Blue House garden for a total of 1,600 attendees, of whom 700 are diplomatic figures and foreigners studying in Korea who were invited for the event. The concert will include artists of various genres, including Danny Koo, SG Wannabe, Heize, Melomance's Kim Min-seok, STAYC, ADG7, LA POEM and percussion band TAGO.

The concert will air on KBS1 on May 19 at 5:40 p.m.

Various other events have been scheduled for the months of May and June, according to the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, including classical music and kids' concerts on May 4 and 5, traditional music events on May 18 and 19 and a pop orchestra and jazz concert on May 25. A K-opera performance will also take place on June 29.

The Blue House grounds have been renovated to accommodate a growing number of visitors to the grounds, mostly by increasing the number of public toilets, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The official website also added Japanese and Chinese language options, in addition to Korean and English.

"The Culture Ministry and the foundation plans to make the Blue House a cultural multiplex with the people," the Culture Ministry said in a press release.

"We will continue with various events so that people can feel the special essence of the Blue House in autumn."

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]