arashi in november

J-pop Idols Arashi Returns in November

Japanese pop idols Arashi will return to Seoul for a series of concerts in November.
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Japanese idol group Arashi returns to Seoul for a series of concerts in November as part of its Asian tour.

One of the most popular J-pop groups in Korea, Arashi will hold concerts Nov. 1-2 at the Olympic Fencing Stadium, Olympic Park, southern Seoul.

The ``Arashi Around Asia" tour kicked off Sept. 5 with the group's first outdoor concert at the National Stadium, Tokyo. Arashi will perform in Taipei, Taiwan Oct. 11-12, and Shanghai, China Nov. 15.

Arashi first performed in Korea in September 2006, as Japan's representative to the 2006 Asia Song Festival in Gwangju. The group returned in November of the same year for four sold-out concerts at Olympic Hall.

Arashi, one of the idol groups under Johnny's Entertainment, was formed in 1999. Arashi, which means storm in Japanese, is composed of Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno and Sho Sakurai.

This year, Arashi completed their first ``dome" tour, holding concerts at dome stadiums in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo. The ``Arashi Marks 2008 Dream-A-live" reportedly attracted a total audience of 440,000.

Arashi released their eighth studio album ``Dream-A-Live," which debuted at number one on the Oricon charts. Also this year, the group released three single albums, ``Step and Go," ``One Love" and ``Truth/ Kaze no Mukou e," as well as a concert DVD ``Summer Tour 2007 ― Final Time."

The group's members are also hosts of weekly television shows such as ``VS Arashi" and ``Arashi's Secret." Aside from their activities as a group, members also appear individually in dramas, movies and television shows.

Matsumoto gained fans around Asia for his role as Tsukasa Domyouji in ``Boys Over Flowers," a drama adaptation of the Japanese comic of the same name. He starred in films such as ``Tokyo Tower" and the remake of Akira Kurosawa's ``Hidden Fortress."

Ninomiya, also an actor, received critical acclaim for his role in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated film ``Letters From Iwo Jima." He has appeared in several Japanese dramas such as ``Dear Father," and played an autistic marathon runner in the Japanese TV movie ``Marathon," based on the hit Korean film of the same name.

Sakurai, a graduate of Keio University, is also a news anchor on NTV's News Zero. He played the lead role in the film ``Honey & Clover," and will star in the live action film version of the anime series ``Yatterman."

Ohno recently appeared in the Japanese remake of the Korean drama ``The Devil," while Aiba is a co-host of the show ``Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen."

Arashi will have three concerts Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and one concert Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets, which go on sale Aug. 24, are 88,000 won. Visit www.auction.co.kr (Korean only).

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

paik nam june museum

Paik Nam June Art Center to Open in October

"Three Elements" (1997-2000) by Paik Nam June

/ Courtesy of Nam June Paik Art Center

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Nearly two years after the death of celebrated video art pioneer Paik Nam June, the art center dedicated to preserving his work and continuing his legacy will finally present its inaugural festival next month.

The Nam June Paik Art Center (NJP Art Center), located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, presents ``Now Jump'' from Oct. 8 to Feb. 5. The festival showcases exciting works by 103 artists and nine teams from 19 countries, not just at the new glass-covered Art Center building, but also at the Shingai High School gymnasium and Zien Art Space.

```Now Jump' is an appeal to not simply rely on past achievements: Now is always the time to act and jump. The title is an invitation but also represents the ambition of the NJP Art Center to leap into the future through the festival,'' the organizers said.

The festival is not meant as a tribute to Paik, considered the first artist to integrate media and art, but a celebration of his legacy and the spirit of his work. Born in 1932 in Seoul, Paik's electronic video works and performance art have been critically acclaimed but often controversial.

``Now Jump'' is the first project helmed by Tobias Berger, who was appointed chief curator at NJP Art Center two months ago.

``I am excited my old connection to Fluxus and Paik have led to an opportunity to develop new curatorial approaches in this museum. We want to take Paik's extraordinary legacy as a model to build key pillars for the center,'' Berger told reporters at a press conference in downtown Seoul, Tuesday.

Berger was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, where the first Fluxus Festival was held in 1962. He grew up admiring the works of Fluxus artists, studied and researched the Fluxus movement and along the way, met and became friends with many of the Fluxus artists, including Paik.

``Now Jump'' is divided into five ``stations,'' which feature exhibitions, performances, workshops, seminars, as well as the establishment of the NJP Art Center prize.

``Station 1'' places Paik's archival works and materials with his friends, colleagues and references such as Joseph Beuys, George Brecht, Charlotte Moorman, Merce Cunningham and John Cage. The section hopes to recontextualize Paik's works within history, the Fluxus movement and other trends in the 1960s.

The state of performance art today is the main focus of ``Station 2.'' It has now been more than 40 years since Paik started avant-garde performances that straddled the line between art and non-art. There are 20 performances scheduled through February, such as ``Quizoola!'' by British theater company Forced Entertainment (Oct. 18); ``X-Event 2'' by Les Gens d'Uterpan (Oct.8-11); ``History of Performance in 20 mns'' by art critic Guillaume Desanges (Oct. 18-19); and ``5 Days in March'' by Toshiki Okada (Dec. 13-14).

Unlike Stations 1 and 2 which are located in the Art Center building, ``Station 3'' places artworks in a private gallery and a high school gym. The works by architects Paolo Soleri and Cho Min-suk and artists Bik van der Pol, Jackson Hong and Sasa [44] will be on display.

Reservation is required for certain performances at the festival. Please e-mail name, contact information and title and date of performance to reservation@njpartcenter.kr.

Admission is 7,000 won for adults, 5,000 won for middle and high school students and 3,000 won for elementary school students. Visit www.njpartcenter.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

doganitang at samcheongdong

Hearty Ox Knee Soup in Samcheong-dong

"Doganitang" or ox knee soup with riceBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Only a few years ago, Samcheong-dong was a quiet, residential neighborhood. Now, its main street is always filled with cars and sidewalks crowded with people who want to check out the quaint boutiques, fancy restaurants and cafes.

In the maze of side streets in Samcheong-dong, one can still find traces of the old neighborhood, where family-owned shops and small restaurants continue to thrive.

Buyoung Doganitang, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, has been serving doganitang or Korean beef and ox knees soup for the past 50 years. Don't let the unassuming exterior of the tiny restaurant or the mental image

of ox knees turn you off. Once you give doganitang a try, you just might like it.

The owner, a grandmotherly figure, warmly greeted us as we entered the place. It's one of those places where you instantly feel at home, maybe because of the owner's warm reception or the small space. There are only five small tables inside the room, but it is surprisingly not cramped.

We ordered doganitang (7,000 won), which is the restaurant's signature dish. After a few minutes, two bowls of piping hot soup are served, along with separate bowls of rice. There are no side dishes except for ggagduki kimchi (cubed radish kimchi), gochujang (red pepper paste) and freshly sliced garlic.

The doganitang broth looks cloudy white with floating pieces of green onions. As we dig in, our spoons are filled with bite-sized pieces of beef. Incidentally, a small sign on the wall assures diners they only serve Korean beef. The beef is tender and easily dissolves in the mouth.

The broth itself is rich and tasty, but adding a dash of salt and pepper brings out the beefy flavor even more. Doganitang is normally eaten with rice, either on the side or placed in with the soup. The ggagduki is a perfect complement to the beef and rice, since it adds a crunchy and spicy kick.

Doganitang seems similar to the popular seolleongtang or beef bone soup, but the former has a heartier and fuller taste.

Since the restaurant is quite tiny, make sure to go early to avoid the lunch hour crowd. To find the restaurant, go along the main road of Samcheong-dong, and turn right at the street after Kraze Burger and Maple Tree House. Walk for 50 meters and you'll find the restaurant on your right. The restaurant is open every day.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

gwangju

Gwangju Biennale, Unbounded, Takes Off

"Sediments, Sentiments (Figures of Speech," a huge installation piece by artist Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, is on display at Gwangju Biennale.

/ Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

GWANGJU ― Expectations ran high for the 7th Gwangju Biennale, as Korea's most well-known art event opened Friday.

The biennale, ``Annual Report: A Year in Exhibitions,'' has always attracted attention, for its lack of an overall theme, something which the artistic director Okwui Enwezor still had to explain even during the press conference Thursday.

``The theme is not the only way where one can telegraph ideas especially in contemporary art, which is very diverse. I thought what we needed for this particular biennale was to have a conceptual structure that would not limit our view through idiomatic structures… We didn't want to have constraints,'' Enwezor said.

Having no overall theme seems to have worked for the Gwangju Biennale, since the curatorial team chose art works based on their merit and quality and not just because they fit a certain theme.

Gwangju has turned into a city filled with art: the works of 127 artists from 36 countries are shown not just inside the Biennale Hall, Gwangju Museum of Art and Uijae Museum of Korean Art, but also in the movie theater Cinema Gwangju and Daein market in the downtown area. Visitors may find themselves needing more than a day to fully enjoy the intriguing exhibits.

When asked to give his recommendations for ``must-see'' art works at the biennale, Enwezor said: ``It is impossible. I think each work or project should be given equal attention. That is the only way to understand the biennale. This is not speed dating.''

At the Biennale Hall, many of the works have a ``performance'' aspect that needs to be experienced firsthand. South African artist Joachim Schoenfeldt's sculpture of taxidermied animals will greet visitors, as group of musicians play live music. Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla's ``Sediments, Sentiments,'' a huge installation made of foam and white plaster, also features live singers giving fragments of speeches of the likes of the Dalai Lama and George W. Bush.

At the Gwangju Museum of Art, visitors can explore the ground-breaking works of American artist Gordon Matta Clark and Southeast Asian experimental art, which both evolved in the 1970s. Enwezor said this shows how artists working in the same milieu are geographically apart but have similarities.

``The section `Turns in Tropics: Artist-Curator' is something unique because many in the West think the art scene in Southeast Asia was mere imitation, but in the 1970s, it developed on its own as a response to their own particular social context,'' curator Patrick Flores told The Korea Times.

Surrounded by the lush greenery at Mt. Mudeung, the Uijae Museum of Art features photographs of 1970s punk bands by Bruce Conner and voyeurs in Tokyo's parks by Kohei Yoshiyuki and Koki Tanaka's vividly colorful installation of every day objects. Those with a sweet tooth may find it hard to resist Mariana Bunimov's ``Rancho (Chocolate Shack)," made of pure chocolate.

Also on display at the Uijae Museum are the delicate works of Uijae Huh Baikryun, a master of traditional Korean art, whom the museum is named after.

The Daein traditional market is the setting for the Bokdukbang Project. According to curator Park Sung-hyen, bokdukbang is an ``old-fashioned'' Korean term used to refer to a place where people can share information and advice.

The Bokdukbang project aims to replicate the character of the bokdukbang as a venue for exchange of information between the artists and the public. At the market, Korean artists set up their stalls, alongside real shops selling fruits, fish, vegetables and other dry goods.

The airwaves of Gwangju will be filled with biennale flavor thanks to RADIOapartment 22: Gwangju, a radio station set up at the Biennale Hall. It will broadcast interviews, discussions, music and sound works throughout the duration of the biennale. R22 is a project started by curator Abdellah Karroum in Morocco, as its first radio station dedicated to art and culture.

Gwangju Biennale lives up to its reputation as one of the premiere art events in Asia, but it faces stiff competition with other biennales in Asia opening in the next two weeks. Enwezor believes it is only proof that the ``21st century will be the Asian century.''

``I don't think it is a competition among biennales. We have 10 international art events opening in Asia this month. This is an immense privilege for this region to have so many exhibits open. There are very few artists repeating in the biennales, this is encouraging and it shows the diversity of the art and seems to shatter the notion that biennales are all the same,'' he said.

Gwangju Biennale runs through Nov. 9. The one-day pass is 12,000 won for adults, 5,000 won for students and 2,500 won for children. A multiple day pass is 30,000 won for adults, 20,000 won for students and 10,000 won for children.

The biennale's Web site www.gb.co.kr (English, Korean) contains detailed information on how to go to Gwangju as well as how to get around the different sites of the biennale.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

seoul media city

Media Art at Seoul Biennale

Mioon's "Human Stream" / Courtesy of Seoul International Media Art Biennale
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Art merges with modern technology for the 5th Seoul International Media Art Biennale, at the Seoul Museum of Art, downtown Seoul.

Opening last week, the biennale showcases innovative works that define the state of media art today and pushes the boundaries of media art.

Park Il-ho, exhibition director, said the theme ``Turn and Widen'' refers to the growing influence of media art around the world. The biennale features 77 works by 70 teams from 26 countries, including Korea, Japan, China, Australia, France, United States, Netherlands and Denmark. Works range from photography and videos to computer art and digital films.

``We tried to show where new media is now. The style of the biennale is to look back and make sure what we are showing here is now `of the moment.' There is also a wider group of international artists represented here, not just well-known artists but also young artists who haven't been exposed but who are into new uses of media in art,'' said curator Maarten Bertheux, at a press conference last week.

Visitors will be treated to a sensory experience at the biennale, since the media works are not just visually stimulating, but also engage their senses of hearing, smell and touch.

At the museum lobby, visitors might be surprised to suddenly hear the sound of an aircraft flying overhead. Look up at the ceiling and there is a moving shadow of an aircraft. This is Taiwanese artist I-Chen Kuo's work ``Invade the SeMA.''

The biennale is divided into three sections, with the first one ``Light" showing how light can be used in electronic art. Singaporean artist Suzanne Victor's ``Expense of Spirit in a Waste of Shame'' features a row of light bulbs and mirrors. Chinese artist Hui Li explores the concept of reincarnation with the use of glowing red laser beams.

Taiwan's ITRI Creativity Lab created an interactive installation ``Flow of Qi,'' where visitors can sit on two chairs equipped with ultra wide band devices that measure the speed and depth of a visitors' breathing. The person's breathing will influence the pattern of the calligraphy created on the floor.

At the ``Communication'' section, visitors will be treated to art works that appeal not just to their sense of sight, but also their senses of hearing, smell and touch.

Visitors who stop and stare at Mexican artist Rafael Lozano Hemmer's ``Blow-up Shadow Box 4,'' may find their own image staring back at them.

At first glance, ``Life Writer," by Christa Sommerer and Laurant Mignonneau seems like an old-fashioned typewriter but it acts like a computer interface. Tap on the keys, and tiny spider-like images appear on the glowing white screen.

Visitors can put on ``Real Virtuality'' goggles created by Electroboutique features. Through the goggles, the real world is transformed into an alternative, virtual world.

Lastly, the ``Time" section features works that deal with themes of changing images through the passage of time.

Korean artist Mioon created ``Human Stream,'' two huge human torso-like sculptures covered in white feathers. Videos depicting crowds running around are projected on the sculptures.

The video ``20010218-20060218" by Japanese artist Fuji Shiro shows how a neighborhood changed in five years. He shot film out of the window of his room everyday, and compressed the video into a short film.

The Seoul International Media Art Archive, located at the archive room of the SeMA, gives visitors an overview of the development of media art from the first biennale through the fourth biennale.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 5. Admission is free. For more information visit www.mediacityseoul.or.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

shanghai art fair

Shanghai Art Fair to Open

This work by Japanese artist Sakae Ozawa will be shown at the ShContemporary 2008, Shanghai. / Courtesy of ShContemporary
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

As interest in Asian contemporary art grows around the world, it seems only natural for an international contemporary art fair to be held in Asia. The ShContemporary 2008, which opens in Shanghai next week, is only in its second year but is hoping to soon become the Art Basel of Asia.

ShContemporary has gathered more than 138 galleries from 27 countries at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. The art fair, which runs from Sept. 10-13, is expected to attract buyers and collectors from all over the world.

ShContemporary director Lorenzo Rudolf said the art fair provides a comprehensive overview of Asian contemporary art and galleries to an international audience, while at the same time bringing Western artists and galleries to Asia.

``The future is in Asia … Asia has a booming economy and strong growth of its art market, but what it needs is an import art market platform to complement the U.S. and European art fairs like Art Basel, Frieze, Art Basel Miami and the Armory Art Show,'' he said last week, in a press conference at the PKM Trinity Gallery, Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.

Rudolf brings his years of experience as former director of Art Basel, considered the world's biggest art fair, to Shanghai.

``We have a very clear view that in five to six years, we want to bring ShContemporary to the level of Art Basel. If there are top art fairs in Europe and U.S., for Asia, it will be Shanghai. That's what we are building up to. … Our philosophy is to focus on Asian art and Asian identity, and to build a connection between East and West,'' Rudolf said.

While the art fair is held in Shanghai, Rudolf emphasized that ShContemporary is not just focused on Chinese art. ``It is a global art fair. It is the fair that gives (Western) galleries a chance to present themselves to the Asian market, and Asian galleries are shown the door to the international art scene,'' he said.



Ten Korean galleries are participating in ShContemporary this year, namely PKM Gallery, Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Arario Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, One and J, Pyo Gallery, Gana Art and Gallery Simon.

When asked why Shanghai was chosen as the venue for the art fair, over other Asian cities, Rudolf said the city ``has a combination of a strong art scene and great lifestyle.''

Aside from the art fair, ShContemporary has two exhibitions, ``Best of Discovery'' featuring young Asian artists; and ``Outdoor Project,'' showcasing installations, performances and sculptures on the grounds of the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

``Best of Discovery'' shines the spotlight on 30 rising artists from China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Eleven specialized curators worked together with ShContemporary to organize the unique museum-style sales exhibition.

Seoul National University Museum of Art curator Chung Shin-young chose three young Korean artists, Jina Park, Clara Shin and Sung Jo-jong, to show their works at the exhibit.

ShContemporary will be open to VIPs and collectors on Sept. 10. It will be open to the public from Sept. 11-13. Visit www.shcontemporary.info.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr