interview with Sang A, the handbag designer

From Pop Star to Handbag Designer, Sang A Shares Secrets to NY Success

Sang A Im-Propp, a former singer in Korea, has reinvented herself as a handbag designer in New York City. / All Photos Courtesy of Sang ABy Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter


Korean fans still remember her as a pop star from the 90s, but in New York City, Sang A Im-Propp is a rising designer of highly coveted, luxurious handbags made of exotic skins.

The buzz about Sang A's handbags has been growing stronger, thanks to Hollywood celebrities and favorable reviews from influential fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle.

Young and beautiful stars like Rihanna, Keira Knightley, Nicky Hilton, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson and Blake Lively are fans of her glamorous clutches and totes that can go from $1,000 to nearly $10,000. .

Even in the ultra-hip TV show ``Gossip Girl,'' actress Leighton Meester, who plays the always fashionable Blair Waldorf, is spotted

The Sang A River Tote bag in zebra black alligator is one of the most luxurious handbags from the collection, and also the priciest at $9,440. The same bag was featured on the hip TV show "Gossip Girl."holding one of Sang A's trademark designs, the black River Tote, which retails for $9,440.

From Pop Music to Handbags

In Korea, she is still referred to as Im Sang-a. As an actress and singer, she appeared in TV dramas and released three albums, which included the catchy dance song ``Musical.''

Now, she is simply Sang A, the handbag designer.

In an email interview with The Korea Times, Sang A shares that she was always interested in fashion, creating costumes and styling her own outfits, even while working as an entertainer.

In 1998, while visiting New York City, she was drawn to the world of fashion, and decided to stay. She left her pop music career to study fashion and design at the Parsons School of Design.

``I have always been more of a clothing person, but as I studied fashion design, I became more interested in accessories as the starting point for my designs. ….
``I have always had a strong interest in the fashion industry, and as I explored different areas of the industry, accessories attracted me. I saw handbag design as the perfect way to create the strong beginnings of the Sang A signature,'' Sang A said.

She worked as a stylist for a year and a half, before deciding she wanted to design accessories.

As a Korean designer starting her own business in the United States, Sang A experienced difficulties at first, especially with the language barrier and cultural differences.

She may have been a celebrity in Seoul, but in New York, she was just one of countless designers hoping to get noticed in the fashion industry. Sang A married in 2001, established her own company in 2003, and launched the handbag collection in 2006.

As an entertainer, Sang A was used to being managed by other people, but as a businesswoman, she had to learn to manage other people.

``Starting your own company is a major challenge, especially coming from an entertainment career where you have an entire team who manages you. Now I have the team that I must manage. At the same time, the principal elements and experiences from my previous life have stayed with me to help create my New York life and career,'' she said.

Her talent did not go unrecognized. Sang A won the emerging talent award from the Samsung Fashion and Design Fund, which included a $100,000 grant.

Designing Luxury Handbags

Sang A quickly learned the ropes of the business. She has taken a hands-on approach to designing the bags, which ``exude the essence of modern classic with a dose of avant garde.'' Her own personal style is translated into the handbag designs.

``I observe everyone around me, and I am inspired by these observations of individual's lives. The qualities that make each person unique and create their worlds are my main inspiration,'' she said.

With its striking color combinations, strong geometric shapes and exotic skins, Sang A bags are for women who want to stand out anywhere, anytime. The tote bags and clutches, made of animal skins like alligator, python, lizard and ostrich, are not for everyone.

``The Sang A woman is a wife, mother and professional. She lives a sophisticated uptown lifestyle, but explores downtown for her laidback edge. She shops at Bergdorf Goodman, then heads downtown to discover avant-garde and cutting edge pieces to add that extra pop to her wardrobe. She travels widely and must have a style that is effortless and standout signature,'' Sang A said.

For this season's collection, Sang A said she was inspired by the vintage details on exquisite late 19th century luggage and handbags she discovered in Italy. Her favorite bag from the collection is the Pane bag.

``This bag is inspired by a military-style `bread bag.' It mixes luxe skins and beautiful Italian linen, classic maturity with a youthful edge,'' she said.

It's no wonder why socialites and Hollywood celebrities love using her clutches, especially at red carpet events and parties. ``I love to see how my designs mix with the different celebrities' styles and personalities,'' she said.

The Sang A brand is also getting a boost from fashion blogs, especially those dedicated to designer handbags. Blogs, like the Purse Blog and Bag Snob, have been giving generally favorable reviews for her bags.

``These blogs are a very powerful voice in the industry right now. The writers behind these sites are intelligent, wonderful people and great fans of my collection. These sites have huge circulation and are a great vehicle for young designers to establish their name. The feedback that the readers post on these blogs is pure and honest and is so valuable to the designers,'' Sang A said.

Future Plans

Sang A is one of several Korean and Korean-American designers making waves in New York City, including Doori Chung, Richard Chai and Andy & Debb. Backed with years of experience, she offers valuable advice for aspiring designers who want to make it in New York.

``I would encourage them to use every opportunity effectively and create their dreams. Immediate action and instinct is key,'' she said.

There seems to be no stopping Sang A from pushing forward. In the future, she hopes to launch a clothing line, as well as open retail flagship shops in New York and Seoul (her handbags are currently only available at 10 Corso Como in Seoul or www.sanga.com).

``As (the brand) Sang A continues to grow, I plan to create a complete lifestyle brand. For example, I am already working on my apparel collection to launch soon, stunningly chic dresses and perfectly tailored plaid coats. I will definitely be opening retail flagships in New York and Seoul," she said. ``I design what I truly believe my customer will love and I am excited to see the Sang A brand grow,'' she added.

Even though she's been busy with her business in the U.S., Sang A has not forgotten her roots in Korea. She usually visits Korea once a year, but still constantly misses Korean food that she grew up with.

Fans might even see the return of Sang A, the pop star. ``I am currently planning to work on a new digital album project for the upcoming year, I will keep you posted,'' she said.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

once again

'Once' Stars Captivate Music Audience

The Swell Season, composed of Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech pianist Marketa Irglova, performed before a sold-out crowd at the Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Seoul, Saturday evening. Hansard and Irglova last year won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ``Falling Slowly," which was featured in the hit independent film ``Once." / Courtesy of Private Curve
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Academy Award-winning singers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova gave a truly ``Once''-in-a-lifetime concert experience, captivating fans with their music, Saturday evening.

Hansard and Irglova, also known as The Swell Season, were in Seoul for the first time, but the Grand Theater at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts was packed with thousands of fans. Their independent film ``Once'' was immensely popular in Korea, making its soundtrack one of the best selling foreign albums in 2007.

The concert began with Hansard coming out with an acoustic guitar with a scuffed body that looked similar to the one he used in ``Once." He went directly to the edge of the stage, and started singing ``Say It to Me Now'' without any microphone. The audience fell quiet as his powerful voice filled the hall.

After the song, Irglova and Irish band The Frames joined him on stage to sing several songs from the ``Once'' soundtrack.

Hansard appeared amazed at the film's success here. He said, ``The best response we've had to our film was in Korea," adding, ``We were walking around before the concert, and I think we met most of the people here."

As they sang their Oscar-winning song ``Falling Slowly,'' there was a palpable stillness in the audience as Hansard and Irglova's voices washed over them.

In the middle of the song, Hansard asked the audience to sing along. ``One of our friends told us that she saw the film in the cinema in Korea and people were singing along there. Is that true? Can you sing with us? It will make us feel better,'' he said, but the audience was content to listen to him and Irglova sing.

It was a very intimate, low-key concert. Wearing a dark jacket and pants, Hansard looked very much like the street singer he played in ``Once.'' He sang with raw emotion and played the guitar with ferocious intensity, especially on ``Leave'' and a cover of Van Morrison's ``Astral Weeks.''

Irglova, meanwhile, quietly played the piano and added her lovely voice to the songs. She switched to playing the guitar for solo songs, like ``If You Want Me.''

Hansard, who is also the lead singer of The Frames, performed several of the band's songs like ``Fitzcarraldo,'' ``People Get Ready,'' and ``Star, Star.''

As the show went on, Hansard, Irglova and The Frames' performances were passionate but seemingly effortless. Thanks to Hansard's friendly banter, the audience felt a sense of closeness with him. He even talked about how he saw a Korean boy on YouTube perform one of his songs.

The Swell Season also treated fans to new tunes like ``Happiness,'' ``Low Rising,'' ``Back Broke,'' and ``I Have Loved You Wrong.''

There was a small surprise during the concert when Korean group Mate was invited on stage to perform. Hansard was apparently impressed with Mate's cover versions of his songs during a performance at the lobby before the concert.

After two hours of almost non-stop music, Hansard, Irglova and the rest of the band ended the concert with a lively version of Bob Dylan's ``You Ain't Goin' Nowhere.'' They all stood at the edge of the stage, and sang their heart out, without microphones, and with just Hansard on guitar.

``We had a great night. It was fantastic,'' Hansard said, as the audience gave them a standing ovation.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

prada transformer

Construction for Prada Transformer Begins

The planned cinema at the Prada Transformer. / Courtesy of Prada Korea
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Luxury goods giant Prada is making Seoul the site of its most ambitious cultural project this year. The Prada Transformer, a one-of-a-kind tetrahedron-shaped building, is being built on the grounds of Gyeonghui Palace, downtown Seoul.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Prada Transformer project was held Tuesday, marking the start of the building's construction.

Sebastian Suhl, president of Prada Asia Pacific, said the Prada Transformer project is an indication of the importance the company places on the Korean market.

``Prada Transformer is the single largest communications platform for the Prada group worldwide in 2009. The fact that we are holding it in Korea is a testament to the importance we give to Korea and Asia, and sophistication of the Korean market. The Korean and Asian markets are fast-growing markets for Prada,'' Suhl said, during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Seoul was chosen over other Asian cities as the location for the Prada Transformer project because of its vibrant cultural atmosphere and support from the city government.

It was first time Prada has collaborated with an Asian city and Asian companies for a major cultural project. For the Transformer project, Prada has partnered with LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company and Red Resource Inc.

Ra Jin-goo, Seoul vice-mayor for administrative affairs, expressed support for the project. ``I expect, without a doubt, that Prada Transformer project will contribute to the fashion design and cultural industry in Korea,'' Ra said.

By pushing through with the project, Prada is seemingly unfazed by the global economic slowdown that is expected to have an impact on the luxury goods market. Rival luxury goods maker Chanel has already cancelled a traveling exhibition featuring its iconic handbags.

A scale model of the Prada Transformer was unveiled for the first time during the ceremony. The world's first ``transformative'' building was designed by world-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas in cooperation with AMO, the think-tank of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Koolhaas, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2000, had also designed the Prada flagship store in Manhattan, New York City.

The Prada Transformer project will be completed by end of March. A range of art, cinema, culture and fashion events will be held at there from April to August this year.

Koolhaas earlier described the building as a ``dynamic and living organism,'' because it ``transforms'' itself into different structures to suit the various events.

The pavilion, which will be 20 meters high, is composed of four different shapes, a hexagon, cross, rectangle and circle. Once a month, cranes will lift and rotate the structure into a different facade and floor plate configuration. When rotated, each side will be the venue of a different cultural program.

On the outside, the entire structure will be wrapped with an elastic translucent membrane. For the entrance, the membrane is cut and can be opened or closed with zippers.

The pavilion will be connected to an adjacent service block, consisting of 20 container vans that dock on a 70-meter-long corridor. The spaces between the containers and corridor will be framed with polycarbonate sheets, while the floors are made of perforated metal.

The sides of the containers will feature translucent glass walls. Each of the containers will have a specific purpose, such as office or kitchen.

For each different event, the pavilion will have a distinct interior design and special furniture, lightning and items. The cinema will have a top-of-the-line, digital projection and sound system to provide a unique experience for the audience.

Prada also announced the appointment of Eunmin Space and Design, a Korean interior design and construction company, as the general contractor for the project.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

encounter

Foreign, Korean Artists Share Common Ideas

“Lisbon 14” by Antonio Julio Duarte
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Art does not know any boundaries, as shown in the exhibition ``Encounter: Dublin, Lisbon, Hong Kong and Seoul.'' Artists from Hong Kong, Portugal, Ireland and Korea are showing artworks where they tackle common social issues in their own distinctive personal styles.

Wilson Shieh, Lui Chunkwong, Antonio Julio Duarte and Anthony Haughey are participating in the exhibition at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center (KFCC) gallery, which originally featured 10 Korean contemporary artists.

``The artists from these countries deal with similar themes as their Korean counterparts, and this only shows that issues such as acceptance and refusal, observation and involvement are globally pursued by artists today,'' said Choi Eun-ju, director at the National Museum of Art Deoksu Palace.

The exhibit's theme is ``To Have and To Be,'' taken from Erich Fromm's book, and features works dealing with common themes of materialism, capitalism and meditation.

Shieh and Duarte both use urban life as a starting point for their art, while Lui and Haughey's works have a more contemplative premise.

Shieh, a Hong Kong-based artist, created two delicate ink paintings on silk canvas from his ``Ladyland'' series, which showed the interesting contrast between traditional materials and modern themes.



``I wanted to portray the image of a lady in different situations and transform it into a female icon. In `The Queen,' the woman is standing on a bamboo rope held by two men. She's wearing a Victorian-style costume, but at the same time, she's wearing a clown's hat. The idea is to use these traditional images and infuse it with humor and modernity,'' Shieh told The Korea Times.

Duarte, an artist from Lisbon, was also in Seoul for the exhibition opening Wednesday. His photographs show indoor scenes with artificial plants and fake landscape backgrounds. On first glance, the photographs may seem staged and surreal, but these were taken inside actual restaurants and nothing was changed.

``This is part of a series `From Nature,' that deals with nature and how society tries to incorporate elements of nature in places like restaurants. We have this need to be close to nature, even if it is fake,'' Duarte told The Korea Times.

``From Nature 14 Lisbon'' shows an empty chair with a landscape background, which Duarte says was taken inside a 19th century studio. ``I like the (contrast) of trying to be photographed in nature, but inside a studio. It's a very strange situation,'' he said.

Lui, another artist from Hong Kong, showed a series of stripe paintings featuring thin vertical lines of grays and blues in a very elegant style.

In an interview, Lui explained how he creates these deceptively simple works. He first scratches the canvas from top to bottom to create the lines. Then he pours the paint from the top and lets the paint flow through the lines to create the stripes.

Haughey, an Irish photographer, presented photographs of conflict-ridden areas in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo for his series ``Disputed Territory.'' One of his photographs shows a stack of red coffins in Kosovo, while another shows a field littered with shotgun cartridges along the border of Northern Ireland.

The works of Korean artists are also attracting attention, like Kim You-sun's mother of pearl installation piece ``1880-Summer-Forrest-Gogh series,'' Hong Soo-yeun's painting ``Casting Call Red #3'' and Yim Tae-kyu's whimsical painting ``Fly Away Home #12.''

The exhibition runs through Jan. 21. Admission is free. Visit www.kfcenter.or.kr or call (02) 3789-5600.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

exhibit at atelier hermes

Artist Makes Glass Sculptures of Human Body

Untitled porcelain sculpture by Laurence Dervaux are part of her solo exhibition at Atelier Hermes. / Courtesy of Atelier Hermes
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The human body is considered God's masterpiece. Belgian artist Laurence Dervaux steps in the shoes of God as she recreates and reinterprets the human body in her fascinating glass sculptures and porcelain work.

Dervaux is currently holding her first solo exhibition at Atelier Hermes, located near Dosan Park, southern Seoul.

The exhibit showcases how Dervaux recreates the human body's internal organs, bones and fluids with transparent glass and fragile porcelain sculptures. Beautiful and delicate, these glass ``body sculptures'' also exude mystery.

``The artist visualizes the `vital force' with the `materiality' of liquid and solids to ask a question on the essence of life and death between organic and geometric forms, freedom and order, transparency and opacity … Dervaux keeps the quest of eternity and temporality, balance and instability, pause and flow, birth and disappearance,'' the gallery catalogue said.

As you enter the gallery, the first work that visitors will see is a series of glass sculptures ``Human Fluids'' on 15 pedestals. Each one is meant to represent various body parts, including the heart, intestines, abdomen and cells, filled with colored liquids corresponding to body fluids such as breast milk, water, blood and urine.

```Human Fluids' is a transformation of the body organs, symbolizing the birth and life of the human being, into beautiful and precious gems. It is much more interesting, besides, in that the glass sculpture is created by blowing the melted glass at the end of an iron pipe,'' the gallery said.

An untitled series of white porcelain sculptures on pedestals are lined up against the wall, forming an ``L.'' Upon closer scrutiny, one can see the bundled porcelain strips resemble human ribs.

But the most visually appealing installation is ``The Amount of Blood Pumped by the Human Heart in 37 Minutes.'' It is composed of four tall glass towers filled with red liquid, and arranged vertically to resemble a human form with a head and body.

``As glass vases and thin glass plates are piled up by turns, the towers entirely depend on the balance among adjacent glass components. The subtle assemblage of glass towers, reminding of a totem pole, looks fascinating and mysterious but easily collapsible even at a light touch, like a house of cards. As the title suggests, the four red liquid glass towers corresponds with the real blood that can be drawn out of the human heart in 37 minutes,'' the gallery said.

There is also a video installation ``Human Liquid'' located in a small room at the gallery. It is almost hypnotic watching how a drop of red pigment diffuses in water, creating swirls of red and pink until it slowly disappears.

``As the smallest red drop runs into a vast space with a sense of steady but intensive speed, the video installation expresses the birth of life and its inevitability as well as greatness,'' the gallery said.

Born in Tournai, Belgium, Dervaux is a graduate of the Academy of Fine and Decorative Arts. Her works have already shown in other Hermes galleries, including La Verriere in Brussels and The Third Floor in Singapore.

She has always been known for artwork that symbolizes birth, life and death. ``The coexistence of `light and shadow, birth and death, attraction and rejection, beauty and fear shown in her work, makes the eternal ambiguous essence of life/ death and its origin visible, suggesting a poetic contradiction and mystery on the presence,'' the gallery said.

The exhibit runs through March 1. Atelier Hermes is located on the third floor of Maison Hermes, Sinsa-dong. Admission is free. Call (02) 544-7722.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

naegang

Home-style Doenjang Bibimbap at Naegang

Doenjang bibimbap
The Korea Times will resume intermittent reviews of small budget restaurants this month. As economic woes deepen, demand for good food at low prices is expected to pick up. If you need such a place for a quick lunch or dinner, this is the page to turn to. ― ED.

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Home-cooked food is always the best. Piping hot rice, freshly cooked dishes and hearty soups prepared by a wife, mother or grandmother always seem to have that extra something special that makes food served at most restaurants pale in comparison.

It is always nice to find a restaurant that serves honest-to-goodness Korean food in a warm, homey atmosphere. Naegang, located behind City Hall, downtown Seoul, is one of those restaurants. To say Naegang is small is an understatement because it's so tiny that it is practically a crack in the wall. In fact, claustrophobic diners might cringe at the cramped place, which can fit around a dozen people at a time (including the cooks and the owner).

There is no need to order because there's only one thing on the menu ― ``doenjang bibimbap'' (steamed rice with vegetables and herbs topped with soybean paste).

As soon as we sit down, a steaming bowl of ``doenjang'' and Chinese cabbage leaves, is immediately placed on the table. The soup is hot and refreshing, especially if you've just come in from the cold.

A few minutes later, a bowl of doenjang bibimbap is served. A dollop of homemade doenjang is placed on top of rice and vegetables such as lettuce and leeks. The doenjang has a strong, rich flavor, but it doesn't take away the freshness of the vegetables.

People who don't like the overwhelming spiciness of regular ``bibimbap'' with ``gochujang'' (red pepper paste) will probably prefer the non-spicy doenjang bibimbap.

The rice portion may seem small, but you can always ask for free refills. Except for the main dishes and soup, everything is pretty much self-serve. There are common bowls of side dishes such as kimchi, sweet-spicy pickled chili pepper and garlic, and dried radish strips.

Service is fast, but you also have to eat fast. This is one place where you can't chat much or dawdle while you're eating, especially during lunchtime. The seats fill up quickly, so it's best to come early.

Some might nitpick about the shabby interiors and seemingly unsanitary conditions (There's no separation between the dining area and kitchen, where the food is cooked while dishes are washed, right beside the diners), but there's no denying Naegang serves good food. For what it lacks in style and space, Naegang makes up for in taste. The doenjang bibimbap costs 5,500 won.

The restaurant is located in front of the Kolon building. It is next to the Taepyeong-ro police station. Call (02) 777-9419.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

dear chocolate

Thick, Hot, Creamy at 'Dear Chocolate'

Small, stylish chocolate
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

With a name like Dear Chocolate, you would expect the restaurant’s menu to be filled with lots and lots of chocolate, right?

Well, Dear Chocolate does have a good selection of thick hot chocolate and creamy chocolate squares, but that’s just about it. The restaurant, located in Apgujeong, serves mostly pasta, pizza, salads and steak, and offers a wide selection of wine.

For starters, we chose the wild mushroom salad (17,000 won) featuring grilled mushrooms and rucola leaves, drizzled with balsamic dressing. It was tasty, although the rucola leaves seemed dry.

The rucola tomato pizza (14,000 won) was thin, crispy and unexciting. The rucola leaves were messily strewn on top of the 12-inch pizza. Someone commented that the pizza had a slight sweet flavor, maybe due to the sprinkling of balsamic vinegar on the leaves.

As for the entree, we chose different kinds of pasta. The King Crab Ravioli in cream sauce (18,000 won) looked promising on paper, but it turned out to be a disappointment. The ravioli filling was so meaty one could barely taste any crab flavor at all. Overall, it tasted too much like a Korean dumpling, or mandu.

We did not expect the Clam Spaghetti with Rucola and Scallops (17,000 won) to be as spicy as it was. The clams, while plentiful, were too small, and there were only two pieces of scallop.

The crab and Prawn Spaghetti in olive oil (20,000 won) had a light flavor, but it was bothersome to try to get the meat out of the crab. A general observation of the pasta dishes showed the noodles were somewhat overcooked and rubbery.

The definite highlight of the generally unsatisfactory meal was the Pure Chocolate drink (8,000 won). Served in a small white pot, the hot chocolate contained 43 percent cacao from Italy and had just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness. It even came with a small piece of dark chocolate.

On the other hand, the hot raspberry chocolate (8,000 won) paled in comparison to the Pure Chocolate. It was served in just a plain cup and was topped with raspberry syrup, not exactly what we were expecting.

Dear Chocolate has quite a stylish interior, with wooden floors, sleek white tables and chairs, mirrored walls and low lighting. Our advice: Skip the entrees at Dear Chocolate, and just order the Pure Chocolate drink to satisfy your sweet cravings this winter.

To get there, go past the Galleria Department Store and turn right at the first corner after the intersection. Dear Chocolate is at the first alley to the right. Call (02) 3446-7251.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

interview with Hueppi

Powerful Women in Hueppi's Works

“Handy” by Johannes Hueppi / Courtesy of Gallery Godo
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

When German artist Johannes Hueppi first visited Korea last July, one of the most interesting things for him was how people, especially women, would talk about anything on their cell phones anywhere at anytime.

``I was so surprised and interested in the way people talk or not talk to each other in the streets. I saw how women would talk on their cell phones while on the subway, and they would talk about personal things. In Switzerland, you won't find that. People don't make phone calls in public,'' Hueppi told The Korea Times.

Hueppi, who is now based in Basel, Switzerland, took the image of a Korean woman talking on a cell phone in the middle of a crowded area, and painted it on a canvas. He made two paintings of ``Handy (Cell Phone),'' which features a Korean woman holding a cell phone to her ear while surrounded by people. His works are currently shown at Gallery Godo, Susong-dong, Jongno, downtown Seoul.



For Hueppi, the cell phone is a symbol of modern society. ``For women, it is a sign of emancipation and pride. … I noticed businesswomen walking down the street talking on their cell phones. It's a sign that something changed a lot in a country. I mean, it was not so long ago that Korea was still under dictatorship and there's been massive change and progress within the last few decades,'' he said.

This was not the first time Hueppi was fascinated by how women use the cell phone in public. It was while he was living in Rome that he first noticed how girls, some as young as 15, would talk on their phones about very suggestive and sexual things in public. ``For me, it seemed very fake, very theater-like. It was something they did to attract men,'' he said.

Women are central to Hueppi's small, intimate paintings, some just a little larger than a postcard. He is very open about his admiration for women, and it shows in his work.

He elevates women on a pedestal, always portraying them as powerful and beautiful, most obviously in the ``Woman in Water'' painting, where a naked woman rises from the water, looking like a goddess surrounded by clouds.

``Most of my paintings are about the pride of women. I wanted to describe it and show it,'' Hueppi said.

There are several paintings of nude women lying beside objects like plates and cups, which he titled ``Still Life.'' He admitted it seems politically incorrect to objectify women in that way, but it was not his point.

``How can a painting with a woman on it be called a still life? To treat a woman as a thing, you can't do that, it's very incorrect and I liked it. … But calling this a still life is almost a conceptual work because it tells you how free I am, as a painter, to do whatever I want on the canvas,'' he said.

When asked why he paints nude women, Hueppi simply replied, ``because it's nicer.''

It was only his second time in Seoul, but Hueppi said he liked the city very much, although it seemed very American.

``I really loved it here. There were certain things that I was surprised. How much it was like the United States in certain ways, but only on the surface like architecture and modern conveniences, the visual things and surface were like the U.S. But anything beyond the surface, like the character, social rules, food, language, it is their own … I don't know why the surface has to be American, to show you've become modern,'' he said.

The exhibit runs through Dec. 30. To get there, get off at Anguk Station Line 3, Exit 6. Visit www.gallerygodo.com or call (02) 720-2223.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

who's next in chinese art?

Who's Next in Chinese Modern Art?

"X-Monkey-Dragon Dance" by Wang Xi at Opera Gallery Seoul.

/ Courtesy of Opera Gallery

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Interest in Chinese contemporary art has grown significantly in recent years. Works by Yue Minjun, Zang Xiaogang, Zhang Huang, Cai Guoxiang and other Chinese artists have fetched record-breaking prices at auctions.

However, the global financial crisis has affected the art market. The recent auction of Chinese contemporary art at Christie's Hong Kong proved to be disappointing, causing many to wonder if the Chinese art boom is over.

Opera Gallery founder Gilles Dyan remains optimistic, saying the only ones who will stay away from buying art are the speculators.

``The good thing (about the financial crisis) is this will stop the speculation that has been going on for the last three or four years. This will stop. But we will still have collectors and real art lovers who will buy the art. Only speculators will stop buying… I'm not very pessimistic about the future,''' Dyan said, during a press conference at Opera Gallery Seoul, Cheongdam-dong, Thursday.

The Opera Gallery Seoul had just opened its new exhibition ``Who's Next in China?'' featuring works of 14 Chinese artists from different generations such as Xue Song, Qin Fengling, Liu Daming, Liao Zhenwu, Sun Guanghua and Xiong Qin.

``I think right now, the art market is slowing down, but we expect it to pick up. So it is very important to be very selective about the artists. We picked the artists who we think will be the big artists of tomorrow. For this show, we chose Chinese contemporary artists, especially Xue Song, a very important artist who I have known for a very long time. His works have been collected by Charles Saatchi and many major museums around the world,'' Dyan said.

Xue Song, who was born in Anhui in 1965, is known for trademark collages using hundreds of pieces of printed paper. He incorporates different Chinese cultural aspects such as calligraphy, folk art, old photographs, traditional paintings and icons such as Mao Zedong in his artwork.

In Xue Song's collages, the pieces of paper often have burnt edges. This ``burnt'' feature emerged in his work after a big fire broke out in the dormitory where he lived in 1990, destroying many of his books, photographs, newspapers and magazines. At that time, he collected the burnt fragments and made them into a collage.

``I started to break up again the concepts which had been taken as fixed, to capture the new possibilities to be emerged from between decomposition and restructuring and put them into collages made of small pieces of burnt paper,'' Xue Song said, in the exhibition catalogue.

On display at the exhibit are Xue Song's works ``Coca-Cola,'' ``Victory''' and ``Flying,'' as well as Li Tianbing's ``Sportive Children,'' Wu Tinghua's ``Jeux Olympiques V'' and Shi Liru's ``Superman in China.''

Dyan said Opera Gallery only selects unique artists with universal appeal. The selection process is very tough, and this year, the gallery only chose three new artists from over 2,500 who submitted their portfolios.

``When we select new artists, we choose someone who has a unique style. We try to choose artists with a universal feeling. Even if they are Chinese, Korean, American, French, we try to find artists who are `collectible' around the world,'' he said.

The ``Who's Next in China?'' exhibit runs through January. Opera Gallery is located on the first floor of the Naturepoem Building, Cheongdam-dong. Visit www.operagallery.com or call (02) 3446-0061.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

interview with Olivier Babin

Journey Through Life at Olivier Babin's Exhibit

French artist Olivier Babin got this phrase from an epitaph at a cemetery in Colma, a small town south of San Francisco, and used it in this painting. Babin's works are on display at Seomi& Tuus Gallery, Cheongdam-dong, through Jan. 23. / Courtesy of Seomi& Tuus Gallery
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The walls of Seomi&Tuus Gallery in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul have been repainted in black and white for rising French artist Olivier Babin's exhibit ``We Live/ In A Time Of Our Own.''

Each of the floor's walls were alternately painted black and white not only for aesthetic value, but also to serve as a canvas for Babin's minimalist works.

In an interview with The Korea Times last week, the 33-year old artist said that the exhibition depicts the journey of life.

``I really wanted to show a trip or travel through time and space. There are four levels that we have to go through, and then go back again. There's no real way to escape because when you go to the top, you have to go back down again,'' he said.

The first floor is starkly black, with a glass of milk on a shelf as the only white object. The glass of milk was inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock thriller ``Suspicion,'' wherein the lead female character suspects that her lover is about to poison her.

``There's this famous scene in the movie where her lover is holding a glass of milk and she's sure that the glass is poisoned. It's a black-and-white film, and Hitchcock actually placed a light bulb inside the glass to make it more white and suspicious. This milk is the only light we have in the first floor. We have to change the milk every day, like an offering at a temple, because milk has the tendency to absorb the smells in the atmosphere, making it poisonous at the end of the day,'' Babin said.

On the floor there are bundles of newspapers which have been painted black. For ``Bad News Travels Fast,'' Babin used the free newspaper Metro Korea, and painted it. ``These newspapers are always loaded with bad news,'' he said.

Renowned minimalist master On Kawara inspired Babin's minimalist style of using simple words and phrases. ``When I Was 17,'' which features seven consecutive dates Jan. 1, 1997 to Jan. 7, 1997 written backwards on a black canvas, is taken from Kawara's ``Pure Consciousness'' series.

``All of these works that I do are after On Kawara's existing works. He made these date paintings for real, so I just twisted them. Its literally a `retrospective' since you look at it backwards,'' Babin said.

On the second floor, there is a series of framed covers of the American magazine LIFE. Three of the covers feature the red LIFE logo, while one cover features the black logo.

``The only time in history LIFE changed the logo to black was when John F. Kennedy, Jr. died. I bought dozens of the magazine on Ebay. The images on the cover are very dramatic, and it goes backward in time, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966,'' Babin said.

He also used the word LIFE on a series of paintings, featuring three with a red background and one with a black background.

On the other hand, death also occupies Babin's works such as ``Home of Peace'' and ``Hills of Eternity,'' which refer to two cemeteries in Colma, a funeral town south of San Francisco, California.

Babin loves taking objects out of their original context in order to look at them in a new light. ``By the Book'' is a series of white sheets of Braille paper framed in glass. Viewers can only look at the white sheets of paper through glass. They are thus prevented from touching the Braille dots and deciphering their meaning. ``I don't even know if it is Braille in English or French,] or what kind of book it is,'' he said.

Babin also incorporates lots of pop culture references in his works, which often have humorous or poetic qualities. There's a video showing cartoon character Lisa Simpson look with amazement as she sees flying penguins. Another work refers to a line in little-known Johnny Depp movie ``Dead Man.''

From the fourth floor, visitors have to walk back down through each of the previous floors. Babin said that he wants people to take second looks at his works with new perspectives, and get feelings of hope, courage and admiration for life.

``It's like life. You start from the bottom, with a lot of mystery. As you grow older, you gain more knowledge and look at life in a new light,'' he said.

A film buff, Babin treats the entire exhibit as a movie. He notes how moving from one floor to the other is either a ``fade-in to black or fade-out to black.'' It only seems natural that next year he's planning to make his own film.

Babin, a native of Dijon, France, studied philosophy at Universite de Bourgogne in 1998. He has participated in exhibitions in Paris, London and New York.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 15. Call (02) 511-7305 or visit www.seomituus.com (map available on the Web site).

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

interview with ne-yo

Ne-Yo Excited to Return to Seoul

R&B star Ne-Yo
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The enthusiastic reception of Korean fans at his first concert in Seoul last year made a big impression on R&B star Ne-Yo.

Ne-Yo, who returns for another concert in Seoul Jan. 11, is thrilled about performing for Korean fans once again.

``I remember that I was given an enthusiastic welcome from lots of Korean fans. It was kind of different from European and American fans who enjoy the concert like they enjoy a party. But Korean and Asian fans were deeply absorbed in the songs rather than the concert. I was absolutely fascinated by this. So I'm pleased that I can host my concert in Korea again," he said in an email interview with The Korea Times.

Ne-Yo is undoubtedly one of the hottest R&B singer/songwriters, having been nominated for six Grammy Awards for his third album ``Year of the Gentleman.'' He also nabbed nominations for Best Male Pop Performance for ``Closer'' and Best Male R&B Performance for ``Miss Independent.''

His favorite song from the album is the first single ``Closer'' which Ne-Yo says was inspired by the thumping beats of the music at London's hip clubs.

``When I went to the clubs in London, I was impressed with songs that had techno and house music. Since then, I've been trying to get the vibe of that kind of music. This resulted in `Closer'. I've never been to Korean clubs yet, but I'm sure this song is great in the clubs,'' he said.

While making the album, Ne-Yo said he listened to different genres of music to get inspiration. This is perhaps the reason why ``Year of the Gentleman'' is not just pure R&B, but a mix of pop, rock, ballads, dance and hip-hop.

``I've listened to the music of Coldplay, Radiohead, Elton John, and Billy Joel. I also made changes by inserting some electric guitar and acoustic guitar sound in the songs,'' he said.

Ne-Yo has also made a name for himself writing hit songs for the likes of Beyonce (``Irreplaceable"), Rihanna (``Unfaithful"), and New Kids on the Block (``Single").

When asked about the secret to making a hit song, Ne-Yo says it's all about making good lyrics and melodies.

``It's amazing that a lot of people love my music. When I make a song, I pay more attention to the lyrics and melody, because I think both are the most important elements in making a deep impression on the listener. Especially the lyrics about love are a universal language. So I try to make good lyrics about love and hope people can empathize with it. Maybe this is the reason why I'm famous even in Asia,'' he said.

Success does not seem to have changed Ne-Yo, although he's always busy and on the go.

``My schedule is tighter than ever and I can't sleep enough,'' he laughed. ``I think my `normal life' is gone from my mind because I should be an `artist.' I also have to keep a good image. At first, it was hard to adapt myself to this situation, but these days I learn new things so I can enjoy my life,'' he said.

Ne-Yo performs Jan. 11 at Olympic Hall, Olympic Park, southern Seoul. Tickets are priced 110,000 won, 99,000 won and 77,000 won. Call (02) 3141-3488 or visit ticket.interpark.com

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

can't wait to see Swell Season next week

'Once' Star Prefers Music to Acting

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will perform as The Swell Season in Seoul, January. / Courtesy of Private Curve
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Despite the success of the indie film ``Once," Irish singer Glen Hansard says he still prefers music to acting

``Acting was a great experience, but not something I feel a need to pursue. Although having said that, if a script came my way that I really felt I could give myself to, I'd be happy to act again," Hansard said in an email interview with The Korea Times.

Korean fans will have a chance to listen to music by Hansard and his ``Once" co-star Marketa Irglova, who will perform as The Swell Season in Seoul in January.

``We're very similar people to the characters we played, so there will be some familiar ground I'm sure, but we'll simply play it as we feel it," he said.

Interestingly enough, Hansard, who is also frontman for the Irish rock band The Frames, was not the first choice for the lead role of a struggling street singer. His friend and ``Once" director John Carney, had originally asked him to write the songs for the film, which was supposed to star Cillian Murphy, who played Scarecrow in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Carney was having problems casting the female lead, so Hansard suggested Irglova, who eventually got the part. However, 10 days before the shoot, Murphy dropped out of the project and the producer pulled out.

``So John was left with a script, Mar(keta), no lead male character, a bunch of songs, no money, and no way of doing it. One evening, he called me up and asked me if I would like to take the part. I hesitated for two reasons _ I don't consider myself an actor on any level, and I didn't want to let John down. But I said yes. What became exciting for me in an abstract way was the fact that suddenly there was no money. It felt like we could now see this project through without interference from anybody from the outside," he said.

While making the film, Hansard said they improvised a lot to make it more ``real." ``What people have said to us is that they find it to be an authentic film, and this is great because we made it in a natural way, and maybe that makes it believable," he said.

Music played a central role in the film, but they were still surprised when they won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for ``Falling Slowly."

``We found it hard to believe that this tiny film we had made as friends had come so far and captured so much attention and warmth. When we won, it became about so much more than us and our film. It was a great success for all independent filmmakers and music makers," he said.

For the 38-year-old Hansard, writing songs is a ``search for truth in a melody or lyric." ``It can be simple or smart as long as it has truth, even if the truth is ugly and often it is. It's hard to say what makes a good song, as it's different for everyone. `Beauty is in the ear of the behearer'," he said.

Hansard loves writing songs with Irglova, who is also his real-life partner, because she has a ``natural gift for editing.'' They met when she was only 12, through her father Marek, who invited The Frames to perform at a music festival in the Czech Republic.

``When two people are close, it's sometimes important to try things out and see what fits and what doesn't. We are very close friends and I think that our friendship makes us be more true to who we both are," he said.

Success has not dramatically changed his life, and Hansard doesn't take fame too seriously. ``Being famous is only ever useful if you want to get a table at a busy restaurant, everything else about it is based in false ego and pretence. My life is different now but in subtle ways. I have more money and that's great because it means I don't have to worry so much about that, for now. I'm a little more self-aware. … Fame is fleeting and so why invest in it," he said

The Swell Season will hold concerts Jan. 17-18 at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul. Tickets cost 99,000 won, 77,000 won, 55,000 won and 33,000 won. Call (02) 563-0595 or visit ticket.interpark.com. For ticket reservations in English, send email to info@privatecurve.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

extreme seoul

Extreme Promises to Return to Seoul

A reunited Extreme performed for the first time in Seoul at the Melon-AX, Saturday evening. / Courtesy of Yellow Entertainment
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

American rock band Extreme played their first concert in Seoul, Saturday night, and were blown away by the enthusiastic reception from Korean fans.

Extreme performed non-stop rock music for more than two hours at the Melon-AX, as part of their ``Take Us Alive World Tour.'' The band reunited in late 2007, more than 10 years after the members went their separate ways.

Starting the concert with ``Decadence Dance," and ``Comfortably Dumb," Extreme's music had fans pumped up with energy.

``Annyonghaseyo Korea! Are you ready to rock and roll," vocalist Gary Cherone shouted. The crowd responded by chanting ``Gary, Gary Gary,'' as Cherone excitedly jumped around the stage.

Extreme played a mix of songs from their albums ``Extreme II: Pornograffiti," ``III Sides to Every Story" and the latest ``Saudades de Rock." The band played 19 songs such as ``Kid Eagle," ``Get The Funk Out," ``Take Us Alive," ``Ghost," and the Queen-sounding ``Star."

Lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt took center stage with an electrifying guitar solo that impressed the audience. The crowd made a big impression on Bettencourt, who remarked: ``We're all in shock. You guys are all amazing… It's like we're in a big football stadium."

All fans were waiting for the band to play their smash hit song ``More Than Words," which reached number one in charts around the world in 1990.

``This is a song we've always turned into a duet with me and the audience," Cherone said.

Accompanied by Bettencourt on acoustic guitar, Cherone started singing but also turned the microphone over to the audience who sang along without missing a beat. After the song, Cherone simply said, ``perfect."

Bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo kept the audience rocking throughout the concert, with thrilling guitar riffs and pounding drum beats.

Obviously elated by the crowd's passionate response, Extreme promised to return to Seoul for another concert.

``I think this is one of the best audiences we have ever played. I'm sorry it took us 19 years before coming here. But I promise we'll be back soon," Bettencourt said.

After more than two hours, Extreme ended the concert with crowd favorite ``Hole Hearted," ``Warheads" and ``Mutha (Don't want to go to school today)."

``We don't know what to say. This is our first concert in your country, and we just fell in love with Korea. You have been an incredible audience tonight," Cherone said.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr