Contemporary Art of Latin America July 17 - August 8, KFCC, Seoul

The Korea Foundation Cultural Center is holding Borderless Generation: Contemporary Art of Latin America from July 17 through August 8.
Held as part of the "Latin American Cultural Festival," the exhibition will feature 27 artists from 16 countries and their artworks. It will be an occasion to explore the diversity of the Latin American contemporary arts. Gallery guide is scheduled to be held every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm during the exhibition period, and a special lecture will be given by the invited curator, Yoon Chea-gab, on July 17, Friday at 4pm. Those who wish to attend the lecture, please contact shpark@kf.or.kr for reservations.

During the exhibition period, Latin American films with social, cultural, and historical themes will be screened daily (July 17---August 1). The KF Cultural Center is open from 10am to 9pm Monday through Friday (Saturdays until 6pm) and is closed on Sundays and national holidays. Admission is free. For further information, please contact the KF Cultural Center at www.kfcenter.or.kr/english or (02) 2151-6520.

Film Festival "Flesh Mind and Spirit" - Prada Transformer Seoul til July 9

It's film festival time at Prada Transformer through July 9.
World-renowned film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") and former New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell have teamed up to select 14 films for the "Flesh Mind and Spirit" festival.
The films are an eclectic bunch chosen with no regard to era or nationality and include titles such as Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad" (1961), Karl Dreyer's "Ordet" (1955), Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" (1972) and Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep" (1977), as well as the 2008 Korean blockbuster "The Good, The Bad, the Weird."
All films are filmed in their original language with English and Korean subtitles.

Screenings are free, but you need to reserve a spot. For more information, including reservation information, see English website :http://prada-transformer.com/
Location: Prada Transformer, the revolutionary arts venue designed by the office of famous architect Rem Koolhaas, is located on the grounds of historic Gyeonghuigung Palace, central Seoul (a 10 minute walk from Exit 4 of Seodaemun Station, Line 5.

8th Gwangju Biennale opens Sept 5- Nov 10, 2009

THE 3RD GWANGJU DESIGN BIENNALE OPENS IN SEPTEMBER
September 18 - November 4, 2009

Under the theme "The Clue", the Gwangju Design Biennale will open its 3rd edition on September 18th 2009 in the metropolitan city of Gwangju, South Korea. It is one of only a few design biennials in the world trying to create a tradition of thinking about design systematically.

The 3rd Gwangju Design Biennale sets out to reevaluate the truism "think globally and act locally" by examining five examples of traditional culture of Korea. These examples will be used to bring the potentialities of very specific local solutions to the fore and reconfigure them in an international design context: Perfect design is enacted in clothing, eating, living, enlightening and enjoying. Because these five human actions form the basis of a complete and harmonious life across all cultures, they are also themes in which designers, who want to improve that life, may search for clues. The extraordinary resources, objects and values upon which Korean culture thrives serve as a starting point for international designers and artists in their creation of new design concepts.

The five themes of 'Clothing', 'Eating', 'Living', 'Enlightening' and 'Enjoying' are expressed with the Korean words of '옷 [Ot]', '맛 [Mat]', '집Jip], '글 [Geul]' and '소리 [Sori]'. The curators of each theme exhibition try to pinpoint their relevance to specific culture and design. 'Clothing' is stratified into subjects: from the significance of traditional costume, to haute couture, to the garment as a work of art. Form uplifts function in 'Eating', where the symbolic color of food and the ceremonial table setting are reinterpreted. The organic spaces of the theme 'Living' offer elemental architectural inspiration. The themes 'Enlightening' and 'Enjoying' examine Korea's unprecedented specializations in the fields of graphic design and music. Each of the five themes will be filtered and interpreted through a set of responses by international artists and designers.

Three expanded projects cross section the five culturally located themes. 'Design to Save', 'Design to Care' and 'Design to Share,' proactively address major topics of global contemporary design such as sustainability, Universal Design and social engagement. Many of these projects utilize the citizens, economy and site of Gwangju with global enterprise. For Korea, the exhibition will be a venue in which to lay the groundwork for a new design culture, propelled, as the title suggests, by assets arising from the expanded meanings of traditional cultural manifestations.

The participating artists and designers of the Gwangju Design Biennale 2009 include among others German automobile designer Peter Schreyer, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, Moshen Mostafavi, architect and Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, or Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk.

Artistic director is Byungsoo Eun. Eun launched the design brand of VIUM in the US, Korea and Japan in 2001; he performed as a guest designer at Maison de Objet of France in 2004 and he curated Asia Design, the main exhibition of the first Gwangju Design Biennale in 2005. Under his direction 15 curators are responsible for the seven different sections of the biennale.

The first edition of Gwangju Design Biennale in 2005 was titled "Light into Life". 707 designers from 33 countries presented their works. The main exhibition was centered on Asian Design and Future Life, it was accompanied by seven special exhibitions, international conferences, workshops, festivals and performances. A total of 280,000 visitors came to see the Gwangju Design Biennale in 2005.

"L.I.G.H.T." was the title of the second edition in 2007. The main exhibition had five sub-categories: Life, Identity, Green, Human and Technology. 927 designers from 45 countries exhibited their works. The Gwangju Design Biennale in 2007 had 250,000 visitors.

The Gwangju Biennale, which started in September 1995, was Asia's first contemporary art biennale. The first edition was visited by 1.6 million people. More than 500 artists and performers from 60 countries took part in the first edition. Ever since, each edition of the biennale has been visited by more than half a million viewers and the event has grown to become the most influential, respected biennial in Asia and one of the most prominent biennials in the world.

The 8th Gwangju Biennale takes place from September 5 until November 10, 2010. Artistic Director is Italian-born Massimiliano Gioni.
More info see website: http://www.gwangju-biennale.org/?mid=sub_eng&mode=03&sub=01

Korean Music Concert for foreigners- June 29, Namsan, Seoul

The Korea Foundation will host its "The Korea Foundation Concert for Foreigners 2009 --- Into the New Tradition" at the Seoul Namsan Gugakdang located in the Namsangol Hanok Village on Monday, June 29 at 7:30 pm.

The concert will feature an exciting performance by "Yeoul," a gayageum quartet playing various genres of music on the traditional Korean musical instrument gayageum, and "wHOOL," a percussion group creating music based on traditional Korean music which people of all ages and cultures can enjoy.

The two groups will perform together in the concert's finale to create beautiful melodies on traditional Korean musical instruments and harmony between traditional and modern, presenting the audience with an unforgettable summer night's entertainment. Hosted annually by the Korea Foundation since 2003 to help foreign residents in Korea understand Korean culture, the concert is free, but requires an advance reservation.

Those who wish to attend the concert are kindly advised to make a reservation via e-mail (kfcenter@kf.or.kr) by June 23.

Book Art exhibition, Sono Factory, Hongdae, June 10 - 16

A group of artists from the Hongik printmaking dept and students/alum from the book and paper grad program in Chicago at Columbia College are having an exchange show at Sono Factory (which, by the way, is a gorgeous space): http://www.sonofactory.com/main.htm

The Sono factory is in Hongdae in the back alleys behind Hongik subway exits 1/2 See: http://www.sonofactory.com/intro/map.htm
(the map is in korean....but if you go to the street behind and parallel to the main drag on the exit 1/2 sides, you go left and see a tiny family mart, then take a right until you pass the GS25 and go another block or so, then turn right and the gallery is on the right.

"EXHIBITION BY NINA FORLANI & AGATHE LEPOUTRE" Opening June 15, 2009, Korea National University of Arts

Event: 37"36'07.68" N-127"03'29.63" E
"EXHIBITION BY NINA FORLANI & AGATHE LEPOUTRE"
What: Art Exhibition
Host: Agathe Jung Ok Lepoutre Nina forlani
Start Time: Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm
End Time: Monday, June 15 at 11:00pm
Where: 한국예술종합학교 - Korea National University of Arts - School of Visual Arts

Description
PUBLIC OPENING + RECEPTION Monday, june 15th 7pm

Fortuitous French meeting of two women in a place, a stormy gestation giving place to a difficult delivery.
Instalation of a broken child's room , timelessness of it places destroyed , relocated and reconstructed in the durability of the noise. In Homage at these abandoned "houses-bodies" and survivor

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=San+1-5%2C+Seokgwan-dong%2C+Seongbuk-gu%2C+Seoul+136-716%2C+Seoul%2C+South+Korea

Music- Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Wed 17 June 2009, LG Arts Center

Date: Wednesday 17 June 2009
Time: 8:00PM
Venue: LG Arts Center
Cost: R 70,000/S 50,000/A 30,000 won
Info: 02-2005-0114 or arts2005@lgart.com / English Help 02-1330

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the most brilliant male choral group from South Africa, is coming to Korea for the first time. Widely known for the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their traditional musical sounds mixed with sentiments of Christian gospel music.

For direcitons and more info on LG Arts Center, click on http://www.korea4expats.com/article-live-performance-theaters.html

Please visit: http://www.lgart.com

Wild Women's Performing Arts Festival, Club Obeg, Hongdae, Sat 27 June 2009

Poets, Storytellers, Free-flowin' Lyricists, Folk Troubadours, Blues Singers, Mask Dancers, Serpentine Goddesses, Performance Artists, Gypsy Fiddlers, Grunge Rockers, Reggae Queens and More!
When: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Time: 7pm till late
Where: Club Obeg, Hongdae.
Entry: 16000 won (includes free drink and raffle ticket)
Raising funds and awareness for the Korean Women's Association United, the Wild Women's Performing Arts Festival will be held again on June 27th. With a bigger venue, more acts and more information, this one promises to be even more exciting than the last.

• This time, we will also have an information booth telling you how you can get further involved in promoting gender equality in Korea by volunteering with various member organizations of the KWAU (www. women21.or.kr).
The KWAU is an incredible organization, and the women who dedicate their lives to running it work really hard at being a significant pain in the Korean government’s patriarchal ass.
• Being a feminist in Korea is no easy job. To show our solidarity with the Korean feminist movement, we will also be selling T-shirts in all sizes that proudly declare “Feminist” in Hangeul. Whether you are female or male, if you believe in equal human rights for women, please buy one and wear it proudly on the subway!
• Little Travelers will also be available at the event. These cute characters are made by women whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa
• Sappho Korea ( English-speaking queer women’s group) will also be there for those looking to join and meet fellow Sapphites.

Over 300 people came out last time to celebrate women's stories and enjoy female performances. It really was a night to remember. So, whether performing or partying, come on out and show your wild side!

Info: wildwomenseoul@gmail.com

Directions:
From Sangsu station (brown line Stn 623) take exit 2. Turn back around and walk towards the university. Turn left at the 7-11 and walk down the side street. Go past Club Tool, Club Joker Red and Club FF. Take a left opposite "Sexy Han Bar." Club 500 is 30 meters along on your right.

From Hongik Entrance (green line Stn 239) take exit 5. Go straight to the intersection and turn right. Walk up the hill to the University, and turn right along the main road. Walk for 100 meters or so and turn right at the 7-11 and walk down the side street. Go past Club Tool, Club Joker Red and Club FF. Take a left opposite "Sexy Han Bar." Club 500 is 30 meters along on your right.

Exhibition opening -Australian artist - Robert Liddicoat - June 19 - July 8, Seoul

Nam June Paik Art Center exhibition opening June 12 - Oct 4

Art Exhibitions for Seoul - from June 2009

Source: Korea Times

Nervous Track
Atelier Hermes
Through Aug. 9
Atelier Hermes, located in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, is hosting the solo exhibition of Scottish artist Jim Lambie. Born in 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland, Lambie was short-listed for the 2005 Turner Prize with an installation called ``Mental Oyster." The exhibition in Seoul will feature his signature Zobop floor installations, as well as a 45-minute film called Nervous Track. Atelier Hermes is located on the third floor of Maison Hermes Dosan Park, next to Galleria Department Store in the Cheongdam district. It is closed Wednesdays. For more information, call (02) 544-7722.

100 Daehangro
Arko Art Center
Through July 5
Arko Art Center is commemorating 30 years since it moved to Daehangro with a special exhibition. The center's memories and experiences in the past 30 years are presented in the context of visual arts. Thirty artists and artist groups are participating. Visit www.arkoartcenter.or.kr or call (02) 760-4850.

Kim Byung-jong
Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space
June 2-21
Colorful, whimsical artworks by Kim Byung-jong are on display at Gallery Hyundai, Gangnam Space. Visit www.galleryhyundai.com.

Kent Henricksen
Arario Gallery Seoul
Through June 21
American artist Kent Henricksen is holding his first solo exhibition in Seoul. On display at Arario Gallery Seoul are Henricksen's signature works such as embroidered silkscreen pieces, sculptures and wallpaper. Visit www.arariogallery.com.

Kim Dong-yoo
Leehwaik Gallery
Through June 10
Twenty of Kim Dong-yoo's art works will be displayed at his solo exhibition. He uses images of Audrey Hepburn, Che Guevarra, Fidel Castro and recreates crumpled versions of classic paintings like the Mona Lisa. Call (02) 730-7817 and visit www.leehwaikgallery.com.

Wildwood Air
Kukje Gallery
Through June 28
Sen Chung is holding a solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery. Visit www.kukjegallery.com.

Nature Poem Vol. 1
Michael Schultz Gallery Seoul
Through June 14
German Artist Hermann Standl is holding a solo exhibition at the Michael Schultz Gallery, Cheongdam-dong. Visit www.schultzgallery.co.kr or call (02) 546-7955.

Meet the Blythe
Coreana Museum
Through July 12
The big-eyed Blythe dolls are a cult favorite among many. Collector Kim Yun-seon is showing off her Blythe doll collection, which she started in 2002, at the Coreana Museum's 1st floor open gallery. Visit www.spacec.co.kr.


Re: Membering: Next of Japan
Doosan Gallery, and LOOP Gallery, Hongdae
Through June 24
Doosan Gallery and Alternative Space Loop are hosting simultaneous exhibitions featuring 20 rising Japanese contemporary artists. Visit www.doosanartcenter.com or www.galleryloop.com.


Skyline
Gallery Space
Through June 21
Chung Seung-un presents installation works that explore the relationship between space and art. ``Skyline'' represents the connection of curvilinear lines from his hometown's mountains and the linear lines of the urban landscape. Visit www.space-culture.com.

Ceramics-Climax
Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art
Through July 5
This contemporary ceramic art exhibition sheds light on the tradition and legacy of ceramics in Gyeonggi Province. Aside from ceramic artworks by a range of artists, the museum is also introducing a video installation of the late video artist Paik Nam June ``Shaping the Future with Earth.'' Visit www.gma.or.kr.

Art in Bloom 2009: The Storming Party in Art Museum
Seoul Museum of Art
Through June 14
Fresh and vibrant Pop Art works by rising Korean artists and art groups such as Kim Ye-sol, Byun Dae-young, Kim & Hyun and Sticky Monster Lab are on display at the Seoul Museum of Art. Visit www.seoulma.org.

Itemtity
Gallery Em
Through June 13
Lee Si-woo created the term ``itemtity,'' a combination of item and identity, to refer to the exploration of identity in his paintings. Visit www.galleryem.co.kr or call (02) 544-8145.

Art & Synesthesia
Seoul Museum of Art
Through June 7
The Art & Synesthesia exhibition aims to give museum-goers a new experience in viewing art by allowing them to also touch and smell the artwork on display. A total of 24 Korean artists have participated in the exhibition. Visit www.seoulmoa.org or call (02) 2124-8800.


Multiple/ Dialogue
National Museum of Contemporary Art of Korea
Through Feb. 7, 2010
This yearlong exhibition brings together the works of the late Paik Nam-june and Korean-American artist Kang Ik-joong. On display is Paik's multimedia installation and Kang's installation work, made of thousands of paintings, woodcuts and drawings. The two artists may have come from different generations and have distinct artistic styles, but their art continues to enthrall. To get there, get off at Seoul Grand Park Subway Line 4, Exit 4, where a shuttle bus to the museum is available every 20 minutes. Visit http://www.moca.go.kr.

Benefit concert for comfort women survivors, Hongdae, Sat June 6

Hello,
I don't know if many of you know but there is a group called "the house of sharing" that provides support for comfort women survivors, ("comfort women" is a euphemism for the women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during WWII).
This saturday night, June 6 the volunteer group is putting on a benefit show in Hongdae featuring korean and non-korean indie bands to benefit comfort women survivors in the Philippines.

Normally, 'house of sharing' only works with korean survivors but we recently found out that filipina survivors (who are called lolas) have it really bad in the Philippines. Unlike korean survivors, lolas don't receive any help from the government so they don't have the money for basic needs like food and medicine.

The entrance fee for the benefit concert is 10,000 and all the money raised from the show will go straight to the lolas.


See the flyer with show's details and go to www.houseofsharing.org for more info.
See Club 500 'OBEG' website: http://cafe.naver.com/obeg
Closest subway: Sangsu Line 6, or Line 2 Hongik University station

'Share my reality' group exhibition- TV 12 gallery, Hongdae, SeoulJune 4 – 17

June 4 – 17 2009
'Share my reality' group exhibition

"Share My Reality" explores the visual dialogue that arises when two pieces of art are exhibited together, and invites the viewer to engage in this conversation.
The works prompt us to ask ”What is it like living in the world today?”, and the artworks reply with thought provoking alternative answers. Each artist is an autonomous individual who navigates a place and engages in inter-human relations, then imaginatively re-stitches the social fabric through original aesthetic treatments. The pairs of artworks thus relate to each other not just isomorphically but also ideologically.
Taken together, these "diptychs by acquaintance" work together to offer contemplation on the similarities and differences in perceptual realities created by young individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Location: Television 12 Gallery www.theartagency.co.kr

PUBLIC RECEPTION JUNE 6 5PM

Participating Artists
Herena Kim - SOUTH KOREA
Mike Hern - CANADA
Roxana Manouchehri - IRAN
Jeffrey Morabito - USA
Choe, Na-ri - SOUTH KOREA
Jean Rim -USA
Park, So-hyun - SOUTH KOREA
Moon, Soon-young - SOUTH KOREA

Directions:

•Closest subways: Sangsu subway, Exit 2 - walk towards Hongik University front gate, and take a right when you get to the Starbucks corner. Television 12 is about 20 meters down the small street.

•Or come out Hongik University Subway exit 5, walk to Hongik University front gate turn right and then take a left at Starbucks.

Contact: Travis
Seoul Art Collective | Co President
Phone: 010-9039-1536
E-mail: travisleestreet@live.com
Website: http://seoulartcollective.tk

Art opening-Brenda Chat solo exhibition, Sogool Gallery near Hongdae, Seoul June 5 - 14

"From the Australian Desert to Mark Making in Seoul"
reception 7:00 Friday 5th June
SoGool Gallery - #393-4 Chang-Jeon Dong, Mapo Gu, Seoul

Duration - 5th to 14th June
opening hours - 2:00 ~ 8:00pm
contact Brenda - brendachat1@yahoo.com
ph 010 6439 1197
BrendaChat.com
contact gallery - 011 9472 1084

How to get there - Line 6 - Sangsu Station (#623) - exit 2 - walk straight ahead 400 metres, past over pass, up some steps and you will see some god images on your left .. that means you are THERE .. if you walk down the ramp to the Ssangyong Apts, you have gone too far. It is a funky teeny galley, so please bring good weather with you!

Yoga, dance, performing arts events coming up in Seoul - June - July 2009

Greetings from Satya Movement Arts!
Website: www.satyamovementarts.com

Here’s a little information about exciting things happening this month and in the summer months to come:

1~ Sutras Study Group: Sunday, June 7 at 2pm

Jai Center for Yoga and Health in Apgujeong is hosting a free monthly Yoga Sutras of Patanjali study group, this Sunday, June 7th at 2pm. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the basis of Raja Yoga, the path of concentration and meditation. It is a complete guide for the study and practice of the spiritual path of Yoga. In each session, a few Sutras will be read and an open discussion will follow. We will mainly use the text, "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Translation and Commentary" by Sri Swami Satchidananda, but feel free to bring a different translation. There are several available for free on the web.


2~ Yoga and Dance Summer Intensive: Early bird registration June 15th

Satya Movement Arts is offering a 5 week summer intensive from June 29 - July 30.
Classes are Monday-Thursday from 11:00am–12:15pm. Modern Dance classes are on Mon/Wed and Vinyasa Yoga classes are on Tues/Thurs. All classes are taught in English at Hongdae Dance Center near Sangsu Station, line 6. W100,000 for Yoga or Dance. There is a special discount rate of W150,000 for both if you register by June 15th. For more info please visit www.satyamovementarts.com


3~ Dance for Matt: Saturday, June 13th

June Hafla "Dance for Matt" Fundraiser Show. The majority of performances will be bellydance, but the night will also showcase a variety of other dance styles in the Itaewon/HBC/Hongdae area between 7-11pm. If you would like to perform or help out please contact Belynda at azhaar@azhaardance.com

If you cannot attend but would like to make a donation, Matt's bank details are:
IBK Bank (기업은행) account 481-007433-01-011. Name on account: 매티유로빈슨 (it's Matthew Robinson written in Korean) You can also send funds via PayPal to chh5522@gmail.com. Once the payment has been sent, please post a message on http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86018939188 so it can be tracked.


4~ Maru Yoga RYT Teacher Training Q&A: Saturday, June 20 at 6pm

Come Enjoy a free Maru Yoga Vinyasa Class and Yoga Alliance information session.
Find out how the Maru Yoga Teacher Training course will encourage you to grow into the passionate and powerful yoga teacher you already are! Get the answers you want to questions about the Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Guidelines. Find out how the Yoga Alliance supports yoga teachers and schools throughout the world. Saturday, June 20th, 6pm at Hong Dae Yoga Kula, Seoul . Contact Michael 010-4479-5545 for more information.


5~ Wild Women Performing Arts Festival II: Saturday, June 27 at 7pm

Poets, Storytellers, Free-flowin' Lyricists, Folk Troubadours, Blues Singers, Mask Dancers, Serpentine Goddesses, Performance Artists, Gypsy Fiddlers, Grunge Rockers, Reggae Queens and More! WWPAF will be at Club Obeg in Hongdae. 16,000 won entry, includes free drink and raffle ticket. This event is raising funds and awareness for the Korean Women's Association United. Contact Rebecca at 010-868-16341 bexcant@gmail.com for more information.


6~ Hot Vinyasa Yoga in English: Saturdays at 12:30pm

Hot Yoga Korea in Gangnam has started a new class on Saturdays at 12:30pm with certified, native English speaking instructors. Take line 3 to Yangjae Station, exit 2. Walk straight about 5 minutes. Studio is on left. Drop in classes are available. Their phone number is 02-525-0999. For more info contact: cnoelle2@hotmail.com