ROKing Korea is a feature column by ROKing Magazine that explores Korean culture and expat life in South Korea. With the growing number of Korean-American expats in Korea, we’ve teamed up with ROKing, a bi-monthly, bi-lingual, Korea-centric magazine, to give you a glimpse of life in South Korea.

Zien Art Space – Art museum combines with daily life

From the outside, Zien Art Space seems to be quite small in size. But as you walk inside, hidden spaces are revealed. The building was designed by architect Jo Sung-ryong, the designer of Seonyudo Park. But this is not the kind of a building that needs renovation as time goes by. This building is continuously evolving, maturing with the nature, with rust, dust and all. The flowerpots placed here and there are lovely and pleasing to the eyes and nose, and the potter-turned-CEO-turned-building director has planned this space for a long time.

The building boasts a unique concept of bringing together living space and art museum with the theme of “an art space within daily life.” Zien Art Space was planned out to draw people to the artwork with a relaxed attitude. And this is why the director built a restaurant, cafeteria and art shop. Because the director is a potter, the exhibition here is mostly about pottery and ceramics. Also, there is a facility for visitors to experience pottery-making first hand. Zien Art Space has a kiln and offers pottery classes. The pottery class is quite popular, especially among children. During school breaks this space gets busy with children and their parents. The director of Zien Art Space is also a famous pottery collector. The flowerpots that are located here and there are all brought from Italy by the director himself. And in the art shop are the precious rare pottery pieces the director collected in Korea and overseas.

You might also easily get hungry walking around the art space, which is why a restaurant called Hide Park was built within the confines of Zien Art Space. Hide Park is an authentic Italian restaurant which is praised for its fresh ingredients and flavorful dishes. The fresh pasta here is all made at the kitchen and boasts a chewy texture. Also, the taste of the pizza stands out because the aromatic herbs decorating the top of the pizza are directly from the plants in the art space.

Zien Art Space
Location: 150-7, SanGil-dong, Kiheung-gu, Yong-in City, Gyeonggi Province
Phone: 031-286-8512
Hours: 11:30~22:00 (Hyde Park)
http://www.zienart.com

Gallery Royal – A bath-accessories exhibition, restaurant and wine bar all in one place

A bath-accessories exhibition combined with a restaurant sounds like quite a contradictory idea. Gallery Royal is a multifunctional space by Royal&Co., a Korean manufacturer and exporter of bathroom products. They built this gallery to reach out to their customers more effectively. Their first objective was to create a place to rest for customers who came to visit their exhibition. With its unique concept, interior and architecture, this building stands out among other buildings in the area, which is why it has become a landmark of sorts around the Hak-dong Station area.

In the basement is the largest bath-product exhibition space in the building, called “Mokgan (a place for bath).” Here, various products such as faucets,bidets and hand dryers are on display. On the first and the second floor a book cafe, restaurant and wine bar make this no ordinary bath-accessory exhibit, as if such a thing were ordinary in the first place. The furniture in this cafe/restaurant is very special because some come from brands that have yet to be introduced to Korea and are specially ordered from abroad. Other items are vintage and are only one of their kind.

At the book café on the first floor there are a lot of rare architecture and design-related books, which is another reason why a lot of customers are drawn to this place. Gallery Royal is not run for profit, so the food and drinks are not that expensive. The wine list here is selected by the director, who is a wine aficionado, which is good news for wine-lovers. The food here is fusion-style Italian. The salad with stone grilled vegetables and ricotta cheese is a favorite dish among the female visitors. Their scallops with parmesan and tomato sauce, and cream spaghetti with key oyster and lobster are among some other popular dishes. Various exhibitions are held at the art gallery on the second floor, eight to 10 times a year, while most of the artwork can be enjoyed by just about anyone. On the sixth floor of the building is a lecture hall where various art and interior-design classes are held monthly.

Gallery Royal
Location: Royal Building 36-8, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Phone: 02-3218-6400
Hours: 11:00~1:00 (Restaurant, Book Café, Wine Bar)

Kunsthalle – Picking on mainstream culture

In the middle of the crowded streets of Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, sits a cargo container that is seemingly out of ordinary. It is none other than Kunsthalle. Kunsthalle are multifunctional art spaces built out of old cargo or shipping containers, and such uses for these giant boxes have been on the rise in Europe and in Asia. The one in Nonhyeon-dong opened in April 2009 and is run by Platoon, an art communications group from Germany. Charmed by the energy and liveliness of Seoul, Platoon chose Seoul as their Asia headquarters. Platoon explained that container boxes are perfect spaces for various cultural outlets that normal art spaces couldn’t take in.

In the main hall of Kunsthalle includes a bar, restaurant and event hall. You can purchase cocktails, beer and German dishes such as pork schnitzel. Various performances and independent movies are shown in the event hall, while the showcase area is used primarily for resident artists who hold their exhibits every month. On the second floor, there is studio for artists, and on one side of the studio are rare art books that can’t be easily found in Korea. The exhibitions at Kunsthalle questions problems that are easily passed by in the daily life. For example, an art exhibition entitled “Supremacists’ Salon” has recently graced the facility with black, white and yellow blocks, which represent race and racism.

Platoon also has an interesting program that selects resident artists with similar ideas to the Kunsthalle way and offers them studio space for six months. After six months, they give the artists an opportunity to hold an exhibition on the first floor for one month.

Kunsthalle
Location: 97-22, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Phone: 02-3447-1198
http://www.kunsthalle.com/

Written by Eun-Ji Kim. Photos by Han-Bit Im. Cross-published from ROKing Magazine with permission.

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On Friday, June 25th 2010, D2 held an opening reception for their first fashion exhibition.  It took place at the Korean-American Association of GNY, Gallery Da.  This exhibit allowed 20 in-house designers to present their choice of work.  The exhibit expressed designers interests/focuses in jewelry, painting, illustration, art and garments.

D2 (Designers of 2nd Generation) is a fashion community that was created to unify Korean-Americans and give them a place to network and grow together in the industry.  Founder of D2, Younza Kim wanted a community where Koreans could learn, network, and improve in the fashion industry together.  Kim came to America in the 60s and simply wanted to see more Koreans in the fashion industry.  “There’s no excuse that we can’t do something because we’re Korean”.  “Today, Koreans are in every industry, and it’s just a matter of how many of us are there.”  Networking will get you jobs and you will make connections, but “there’s a very special emotion when it’s Korean to Korean, it’s like flying with he same flock of birds”.  This exhibit was a mixture of everyone’s fashion backgrounds, just to see what it’s like to have an exhibition that is their own.  Many times other owners and/or communities hold exhibitions where only a selected number of Asians are showing, but with this exhibit, “we are the owners and designers, as opposed to jobs where we are being told what to do.”  Current president, Jeho Lee adds, “Korean Americans have more passion.  Maybe it’s the struggle of the Asian spirit and the American spirit that makes it feel like we can be a more powerful force in the industry.”

Soyoon Park became a member of D2 since last December, through a friend’s recommendation.  She works for a fashion design company but wanted to introduce her own work to the public to gain exposure through this exhibit.  Also, freelancing causes her to work from home a lot, so she wanted to meet more people in the industry.

Another exhibitor, Ha Young Do joined D2 last year when her internship turned full time.  “Being a part of a community, broadens your eye to know what’s going on in the industry”.  This exhibit is her first time showing her work in New York City and finds it a great opportunity to express emotions, “every person has desires and passions outside of their job”.

The benefits of being a part of the D2 community are job searches/post, connections, networking, monthly meetings and designer Q&A/lectures.  The company is now 2 and a half years old and have over 200 members strong.  They continue to grow as new designer’s emerge with a passion for fashion.

www.d2-house.com

How do you describe David Choe?  Mad artist?  Pure genius?  There are many adjectives we could apply to David but this boy wonder is ready to share his genius again in Beverly Hills at the Lazarides Gallery.  David is an art school drop out who roams the world looking for inspiration.  So how does David describe himself and the town where he’s about to open a new exhibit?

“I am a typical artist, so I’m definitely my own worst enemy, my irritable bowel syndrome being a close second, I self destruct constantly, I suicide bomb my own s**t weekly, and destroy everything that is good and pure in my life. I love and hate LA. I was born and raised here, this is the city where I first fought, f**ked, farted, and rioted. I f**king love the s**t out of this city and I hate it with all my heart. This is the city that never gave me an art show so I had to exhibit at an ice cream parlor. I want to burn this city to the ground.

This is the city that came out in hundreds to see my movie premiere and made my parents proud. I want to face f**k this city. Either way It’s been way too long Los Angeles, and I’m sorry I had to leave in the first place, but you were really annoying the s**t out of me, but I forgive you. I’m sorry I left you when you needed me most, I’ve seen these horrible atrocious art shows you’ve been subject to, I seen these wacked out gimmicky douchey group shows and art walks you been sexually and mentally harassed by, and I’m here to tell you, I’m coming soon, and maybe you’ll appreciate me and not take me for granted this time. Lets make the dysfunction work for us, ok? I promise to try harder if you try harder. It’s been 6 long years since my last show here when you f**ked me and I left you. In that time I’ve seen things, I’ve heard things, I’ve felt things I’ve never felt before, I’ve been hitch-hiking all over the globe, I’ve been to Japanese jails, African jungles, Chinese torture chambers, the Whitehouse, and to all 7 levels of hell and back.

On the 23rd April 2010, I will have my first solo art show with Lazarides. I will take all my love all my hate all my pain all my rage, all my suffering and all my skills and experience I’ve collected over the years, everything I’ve learned in every medium from watercolors to oils to spraypaint, I’m gonna express everything I feel about this city and what it is to live and die and be born again in the City of Angels…. Los Angeles, I’m coming home, and when I come this time, I’m gonna come harder than I ever have before…”

Don’t you wish David would be a bit more direct?

Source: Evil Monito

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington on Tuesday said it will introduce the late Lee Joong-seop (1916-1956), an ill-fated Korean painter, at its Korea Gallery from as early as this month.

Since it opened in June 2007, the Korea Gallery has seen exhibitions devoted to pastor Moon Ik-hwan, Mikhael Petrovich Kim, a painter living in Kazakhstan, pro golfer Pak Se-ri, and David Chung, a Korean-American potter, under the theme “Korea crossing the border.”

A senior curator said the museum decided to hold an exhibition about Lee because he symbolizes Korea’s national division. 

He was born in North Korea but worked in South Korea and settled on Jeju Island due to the Korean War.

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Linda Sue Park’s charming book “Bee-Bim Bop!” was recently chosen by the public libraries of New York as one of the Top 20 favorite stories to read aloud.  Fun and melodic, it’s a great gift for a child that already loves Korean food or for parents that want to pass the pleasure of eating and mixing bibimbap along to their kids. For recipes or how to cook bibimbap, see the videos we found below on YouTube.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s version

Have you ever been to a pay-by-the-hour hotel in Seoul?  You guessed it; these hotels are not for taking a nap during a layover but for quick sex and affairs.  These Love Hotels are not exclusive to Korea but are found in many countries.  New York photographer Grace Kim went to Seoul and she brings to light the residue and remnants of these rooms, after they’ve been used.  Her photographs are on display at the Melanie Flood Projects in Brooklyn until October 7th.

“Love hotels in South Korea are commonly known to be where lovers go to carry on secret affairs. I was given access to photograph the rooms of a love hotel in Seoul after couples had checked out and before the rooms had been cleaned. Korean culture has many rules and formalities that have always felt very restrictive to me, so I was intrigued by the idea of being where I shouldn’t be and observing things I shouldn’t be observing — remnants of love affairs that were presumably forbidden as well. Absence of color, like the absence of identity, extracts the bed from their original context and realism, leaving space for personal projections and imagination.”

If you’re the new U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and you’re moving into the Habib house – the Seoul residence of the U.S. ambassador – how would you decorate your new digs?  For Ambassador Kathleen Stephens it was about the art that bridges two countries.  And naturally, Ambassador Stephens chose the artwork of Korean-Americans.  This effort is really the product of the Art in Embassies program that the state department started in 1964 to display American art in American diplomatic residencies across the world.  What you may not know about Ambassador Stephens is that she lived in South Korea in the 70s and even picked up a Korean name at that time:  Eungyeong Shim (심은경).  This past fall, she arrived in South Korea to begin her new life as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.

Now back to the art and how it bridges the two countries.  First, a quick history lesson from the Korea Herald.

Modern Korean immigration to the United States dates from 1903 when 102 Koreans went to Hawaii to seek new lives.  Today, there are more than 1.5 million Korean-Americans in the United States “and their participation in all sectors of American and Korean society today is remarkable,” she said.  Her favorite part of the house, the music room, has two strikingly important pieces of art: Paik Nam-june’s “Smashed Violin” and the “Moon Jar” from Kang Ik-joong.  In another room of the house, famed artist Nikki S. Lee has two photographs displayed prominently.  Two photos that capture the imagination are pictures of pagodas elegantly displayed in the living room.  When looking into the huge dinning room, one cannot miss Chinese-American artist Meiling Hom’s “Clouds” hanging from the ceiling. Still, the softly accentuated clouds do not take away from the other art in the room such as Jae Hahn’s “Unfoldings” and “Green Half Moon.”  Hom is the only artist featured in the exhibition who is not Korean but has a Korean connection. She received a Fulbright Scholarship from Korea.  “It is fitting that the Habib House, which combines the elegant yet humble architectural characteristics of a traditional Korean dwelling with the comfort of a modern American home, is the venue for an exhibition featuring artists whose lives and works bridge Asia and America,” Stephens said.

One man’s trash is another woman’s art, and that is what Ms. Jean Shin does with ordinary objects.  They may be ordinary to us or even garbage but Ms. Shin takes these pieces and assembles them into elegant art.  Her patient and meticulous approach is the only way to achieving such artistic monuments.

Shin specializes in transforming everyday objects into something else, though she can’t always predict how her art will be interpreted.  Shin says her work is informed by conceptualism, by the ideas as well as the visual impact.  “As artists, we’re thinking about these ideas that are meaningful to us and [we] hope that other viewers can also translate the viewing experience into a thinking process,” Shin says. “For me, my meaning is [not just] looking, but feeling and thinking.”

Her creations go on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and will be on display till July 26th.  For more information, go to the Smithsonian web site or to Jean Shin’s web site.

If you’re in Brooklyn, drop by the Brooklyn Museum to see what you can do with 3 miles of black masking tape.  Artist Sun Kwak’s exhibit, “Enfolding 280 hours,” is now open to the public till July 5th.  With a tear here and there, it looks like black paint slashed across the wall.

So how did hangeul come about?  Well if you’re in New York, then drop by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (AKA The Met) and visit the ‘Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600′ exhibit.

The show, the museum’s first exhibition of internationally gathered Korean work in decades, opens a season of learning about Korea for museum-goers on both coasts. On June 28, a week after the Met show closes, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will open an exhibition of work by 12 contemporary Korean artists. And before that closes, LACMA plans to open its reinstalled Korean galleries in a location far more prominent than before: directly across the plaza from Wilshire Boulevard.  Read more …