rock festivals in July

Pentaport, Jisan Valley Rock Festivals in July

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Rock fans in Korea will have not just one, but two rock music festivals to look forward to this summer.

This year, the Pentaport Rock Festival in Incheon faces stiff competition from the new Jisan Valley Rock Festival in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Both festivals will be going head to head on the same three-day weekend, July 24-26.

Pentaport's organizer Iyescom is engaged in a public fight with Jisan Valley's organizer Yellow Entertainment, which co-organized Pentaport with Iyescom until last year.

However, the squabbling between organizers will unlikely be of any concern among fans. Fans will be more concerned which rock festival in Korea will be offering the better line-up of bands and performers.


Pentaport

Pentaport Rock Festival will feature 60 foreign and Korean rock bands and performers over three days at the Songdo Daewoo Motor Fields, Incheon.

Iyescom, organizers of the event, announced the initial line-up, which includes foreign acts like Deftones, Eskimo Joe and Lenka. The line-up is dominated by Korean indie bands like No Brain, Cocore, Galaxy Express, Sogyumo Acacia Band, Crystal Rain and 99 Anger.

Pentaport is the pioneer in rock festivals in Korea, having staged wildly successful events since 2006. The Pentaport festival in 2006 included The Strokes, Placebo, The Black Eyed Peas, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jason Mraz, Dragon Ash and Miyavi. The following year featured Muse, Chemical Brothers, L'Arc~en~ciel, Ok Go!, Ash and Damien Rice.

Top acts at last year's Pentaport included Travis, Underworld, Kasabian, Feeder. The Gossip, Ellegarden, The Go! Team and Crying Nut.

Tickets for Pentaport go on sale Thursday. Visit www.pentaportrock.com.

Jisan Valley

Jisan Valley Rock Festival, which will be held at Jisan Forest Resort, Icheon, is challenging Pentaport for the title of biggest rock festival in Korea.

So far, it's getting a lot more buzz, especially since it has snagged British rockers Oasis as the headline act. Oasis remains popular among Korean fans, and had just performed in Seoul last April before sell-out crowds.

Yellow Entertainment, which used to be the co-organizer for Pentaport, has also gotten other big names like American rock bands Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Japanese group Asian Kung-fu Generation and singer-songwriters Patti Smith and Priscilla Ahn.

Korean performers include Dr. Core 911, Vassline, Vodka Rain, Yozoh, Lee Han-choul, Zitten, Tacopy and Sister's Barbershop.

Many of the foreign acts at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival will also be performing at the Fuji Rock Festival, also held on the same days, at the Naeba Ski Resort, Japan. Oasis and Weezer are the co-headliners at Fuji Rock, which will also have Franz Ferdinand as the headliner.

Tickets will go on sale 2 p.m., May 25 at ticket.auction.co.kr (1566-1369) or ticket.yes24.com (1544-6399). The three-day pass is 165,000 won, two-day pass is 132,000 won and one-day pass is 88,000 won. Visit www.valleyrockfestival.com. For bookings in English, call (02) 3444-9969. Visit www.valleyrockfestival.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

seoul art collective

Seoul Art Collective: Outlet for Foreign Artists

“Hongdae Night Fever” by Jeffrey Morabito, an artist with the Seoul Art Collective / Courtesy of Jeffrey Morabito
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Korea has a thriving art community, but if you're a foreign artist living here, it can be hard. The language and cultural barrier, plus the difficulty of finding galleries to show your work, are just some of the problems that faced artists like Travis Lee Street and Annabel Fenn.

Fenn, an artist and English teacher working in Suwon, said they were looking for a group of international artists to talk and work with. On the Internet, they found the Seoul Art Collective, founded by American artist Ron Saunders with the aim of providing an open forum for artists living in Korea

Since Saunders went back to the United States, Fenn and Street decided to take the helm of the Seoul Art Collective last January. ``We're doing some things a little differently, like running more events regularly and involving more Korean and international artists together. We just really wanted to meet like-minded people and just help people get noticed,'' Fenn said.

The Korea Times met with Fenn, Street and artists Jeffrey Morabito and Ryan McLay, who shared their experiences and problems as foreign artists living and working in Korea.

``The best part (of the Seoul Art Collective) was getting a group of people who can critique art in English… To meet other good artists that speak my own language, that was a nice change,'' said Morabito.

Through word-of-mouth and the Internet, the collective attracted attention from foreign artists in Korea. Its members are from different countries, U.S., South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Iran, and Sweden.

``We had no idea about the response we would get. In three months, we had 12 new members. We keep getting applications. We have to find venues for all these people now. Most of them are mid-career artists, with strong work,'' Street said.

McLay, a Canadian video artist who is also teaching English, said he came to Korea to get some inspiration. ``The reason I came to Korea was I wanted to develop a body of work that was more international, get some inspiration from another country and be exposed to the Asian market,'' he said.

Fenn, a British artist, started making art after moving to Korea. ``I've always drawn, but the amount of free time that I have, it's a way for me to exorcise my demons, to express myself… Coming to Korea was a great boost of artistic inspiration,'' she said.

What initially started as a group of artists getting together to talk about art, the Seoul Art Collective has evolved into a more of a non-profit artist management organization, and opportunities to hold exhibitions started cropping up.

The collective is organizing a few exhibitions this year. ``In Flux,'' an exhibition featuring artwork that ``represents a flow of dynamic stages in artists' lives,'' runs May 31- June17 at the Door Gallery, Hongdae. Another show ``Share My Reality,'' includes both foreign and emerging Korean artists, will be held June 4-17 at the Television 12 Art Cafe, Hongdae. ``Pilot Light,'' a group photography exhibition runs July 11-23 at the Door Gallery, offers unusual photographs that evoke memories of the past.

The Seoul Art Collective is getting its big break, when 13 of its artists participate in the upcoming Peace Project 2009 ``Creative Evolution'' at the Bupyeong History Museum, Incheon, Sept. 8-19. The event, which is mainly a showcase for Chinese and Korean artists, attracts over 100,000 visitors every year.

Aside from its Web site (www.seoulartcollective.tk), the collective also has a Facebook group and a YouTube channel, which shows visits to the artists' studios. An artist from the collective is featured once a week on The Steve Hatherly Show, TBS English FM (101.3 FM), at 3 p.m. every Thursday.

New members are always welcome in the art collective, especially since members are only in Korea temporarily.

``Basically many of us, our situation here is not secure. It creates a sense of urgency to make works and get it out there, because we don't know how long we're staying or when we're going to leave. But uncomfortable situations produce interesting art as well,'' Morabito said.

The artists believe this is a perfect time to have an international artists group in Korea. ``The market is ripe right now for an international artists group. We're all quite young, and we have a lot of interest from young Korean artists. It feels fresh,'' Fenn said.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

julian opie

Opie Finds Realism in Minimalist Figures

Julian Opie talks to reporters at Kukje Gallery New Space, Monday.

/ Courtesy of Kukje Gallery

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

In British artist Julian Opie's artwork, human figures are depicted in minimalist forms. It's just a circle for the head and few curvy lines for the body.

Opie says his art is not about depicting humans realistically, but about finding a realistic quality. ``My main aim to find some realistic quality, not photographic detail. It's about how you feel in the world. When people ask why am I only using a circle for a head. When I view a crowd, I don't take in the details. You are a circle. I see a bag, glasses, or long hair. This is the discussion of realism I'm talking about, not photographic realism,'' he told reporters, Monday, at the Kukje Gallery New Space, downtown Seoul.

Opie, known for his use of computerized images, is holding his first solo show in Seoul. Opie was born in London, raised in Oxford and graduated from Goldsmiths College. For over 10 years, he has been drawing these minimalist human images, which stemmed from a conscious attempt to find an artistic language that allowed him to depict humans.

``I found the universal symbols for man and woman. I took the symbols and tried to superimpose it on a photograph of a friend. I pulled and pushed the two things until they met somewhere in the middle. It was 10 years ago and the language continues to develop... In the very latest works, I hope to have captured to a much greater degree of movement and personality while retaining the language,'' he said.


``Caterina dancing in balck dress'' by Julian Opie

/ Courtesy of Kukje Gallery

The first floor of Kukje Gallery New Space is filled with works that are all about movement. A majority of the works feature a Spanish ballerina named Caterina in various dancing positions and outfits such as jeans, denim skirt and black dress.

``Throughout the works I've made, I've always tried to see where it is possible to bring in movement. Some of the works actually move, while other ones don't move themselves but they depict movement,'' Opie said.

Opie has always been involved in portraiture, and his exhibition in Korea only focuses on portraits of people. ``For me, part of the reason of making art is to engage the world, Through the process of drawing people, I've learned how to look at people, and how others have depicted people, and I try to bring that in with my works,'' he said.

In recent years, Opie has created more detailed figures in his portraits, and used LCD screens to make ``moving portraits'' and 3-D lenticular prints. His new works are on the second floor of the gallery.

``I put a small computer on back (of the frame), so I am able to present something like a traditional 18th century portrait but make it alive like the Harry Potter movies. Like the paintings in Hogwarts, where the eyes of the portrait figures follow the students around the school,'' he said.

Some might be surprised to see some of Opie's works taking on a distinctly Japanese manga flavor. There are several pieces, which look like they could have been right out of a Japanese anime series or a comic book. Opie says famous Japanese ukiyo-e or woodblock printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro had inspired him, and he also collects hand-painted animation cells from 70s and 80s Japanese anime series.

Four pieces feature a Japanese print dealer named Ken and his pop star wife Yayoi, while other works depict Caterina and Opie's two young children. ``I used the anime cells as a kind of dictionary on how to understand and approach a certain way of drawing. I was breaking my own rules, introducing whites in the eyes, shadows on the skin. … There is also an emphasis on the TV screen quality, like the dimensions and metal frame like a TV,'' he said.

With the rapid technological advances in the world today, Opie's computerized works could be easily reproduced, copied and downloaded from the Internet. He acknowledges ``timeless rarity of images has disappeared in this generation,'' but he is not one to hide from technology.
``You can try not to be affected by this or plunge into the pool and see what value can be taken from this and not become scared by the usability of images that are now there but rather use it and see what it can be done. I wonder what would artists like Utamaro would have done if it were no longer necessary to cut wood? Now it's much easier to get an inkjet machine and out comes beautiful prints with archival inks that last 100 years. My choice is to take this path and see where it goes,'' Opie said.

Opie's exhibition runs through May 31. Visit www.kukjegallery.com or call (02) 733-8449.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Tomatillo

Burritos, Quesadillas and More at Tomatillo Grill

The beef taco at Tomatillo GrillBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Aside from the occasional hole-in-the-wall taco places or overpriced restaurants, there are not really a lot of choices when you're craving for Mexican food in Seoul.

Tomatillo Grill has already gotten some buzz for offering Mexican favorites like burritos, tacos and quesadillas at affordable prices.

With its bright red sign at the first floor of Alpha Building along Jongno street, you can't miss Tomatillo Grill. Once you go inside, you can immediately line up and choose your order from the menu over the counter.

The menu includes tacos (3,800 won), burritos (6,800 won), quesadillas (6,800 won), and tostada (5,500 won). You can choose what kind of meat you want: beef steak, beef bulgogi, chicken, pork pineapple, fish, vegetarian, or egg, bacon, cheese and potatoes.

We tried the burrito with pork pineapple, which was packed with rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa and sour cream. It was delicious and filling, but some pork bits were tough to chew.


The chicken quesadillaThe chicken quesadilla, in all its gooey cheesy goodness, proved to be a winner. The shredded chicken bits were mixed with mushrooms and lots of cheese, folded in a tortilla wrap and heated on a pan, causing the cheese to melt. It is served with some salsa dip, if you want to add a spicy flavor.

As for the tacos, Tomatillo's beef tacos were tasty and had a lot of beef in it. However, the fish tacos were dry.

Tomatillo's special of the day was the chicken taquitos (11,000 won), which came with salad, beans, rice, and soda. It was a disappointment, though, since the crispy tostadas were a tad too oily for our taste.

We also tried the cinnamon choco chips, which turned out to be nacho chips sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a tub of chocolate sauce. This seemingly odd combination of salty chips and chocolate was a delicious surprise. There's also plain old chips and salsa or chili cheese nachos for those who want something familiar.

The drinks menu includes a choice of soda, beer, margaritas (strawberry, lime and peach), smoothies (Pina Colada, Gold Medalist, Peach Fuzzy) and Fruit Ade (November Breeze, Lemon Drop, Pink Sunshine).

Service was quick and efficient, even if there was a line forming during lunch hour. If you're curious about the restaurant's name, tomatillo is actually a small green tomato, widely used in Mexican cuisine.

Find Tomatillo Grill on Facebook, and you just might get a free burrito or drink if you answer the question of the day. To get to Tomatillo, get off Jonggak Station Line 1 Exit 6. Walk 100 meters, the restaurant is right next to Au Bon Pain. Opening hours 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday, or 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday to Sunday. Call (02) 734-0628.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

seoul luxury institute

Institute to Train Luxury Business Experts

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter When one talks about luxury, world-famous brand names, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci and Chanel come to mind. Luxury also conjures up images of posh suites at five-star hotels, diamond-studded watches, rare French wines, and expensive sports cars. Luxury is not about the flashy logos or hefty price tags. Luxury's true meaning is still and will always be about high quality. ``Luxury is the quality of the product. It is based on the quality of design and quality of service. If you are not delivering good service in the retail store, the customer will not come back. If people start to take care of the customer, ask them what they want, offer you a glass of water, you can see the quality of the details. The philosophy of luxury is how to take care of the customer,'' Daniel Mayran, president of the Seoul Luxury Business Institute (SLBI) told The Korea Times, at his office in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. Mayran, a native of France, is definitely someone who knows the luxury business. A former Air France executive with more than 30 years experience, he has been at the helm of Bluebell Korea Ltd., which handles luxury brands, since 2001. As president of the Comite Colbert in Korea, Mayran was tasked to promote French luxury goods and combat counterfeiting from 2003 to 2005. With his extensive background in the industry, it comes as no surprise that Mayran spearheaded the establishment of SLBI, which is touted as the first authentic ``global luxury business school'' in the world. Living and working in Korea since 2001, Mayran realized there were no specialized studies dealing with the luxury business in universities in Korea. ``In Korea, I made a professional market study showing that there are 26, 27 schools already but all of them are developing studies for design, fashion, merchandising, marketing, communication, but nothing about the luxury business. That's why we wanted a school to be an institution for luxury, where people can come to learn about the world of luxury,'' he said. SLBI, which will hold its first class in July, hopes to instill the true meaning of luxury and quality of service to its students. It provides world-class programs to enhance professional management skills for those who are already involved in the luxury business or newcomers who want to enter the industry. To make sure the curriculum and training offered are up to par with world-class standards, SLBI has partnered with top business school HEC Paris. The Financial Times selected HEC Paris as the number one business school in Europe for the last three years. SLBI also teamed up with Luxury Attitude, a top training institute that has worked with some of the top hotels and retail companies such as Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels, Mercedes Benz, Hotel de Crillon, and the Hyatt and Hilton hotels. Korean Luxury Market Mayran believes Seoul is the ideal place to open the Institute because of the mature and sophisticated market. ``I am convinced the market is mature. The market is here. … When you talk with a lot of the (Korean) customers, and ask them what is luxury, they are well informed about what is real luxury,'' he said. Discerning Korean customers expect high standards of service and more products, not just from well known brands such as Vuitton and Gucci, but also the likes of Hermes and Goyard. On the other hand, luxury companies are struggling to compete with each other, find skilled professionals and maintaining the quality of service. This is apparent when anyone walks in a posh boutique and is suddenly hounded by overeager sales associates, or worse, being ignored when one needs their assistance. This kind of gap in the quality of service in the luxury business in Korea is one of the things Mayran hopes to address through SLBI. ``Luxury introduces a quality of life. You have to take care of people. … Everyone is always busy and stressed. So you look for people to take care of you. If you see that they are welcoming (in the store) and try to help you, take care of you, you will come back,'' he said. Studying Luxury The economic downturn has affected companies all over the world, including those involved in the luxury business. Mayran says this is a good chance for people to study at the SLBI, get specialized training and be prepared for opportunities when business picks up. ``I think this can be helpful for the school. A lot of the people prefer to spend more time to study than to be in the market," he said. The target market for the school's programs are newcomers, who want to be involved in the luxury business; middle management, who are preparing for promotion; and top executives, directors and brand managers. Registration starts in June. ``We will select the students, have interviews and decide if we accept them or not,'' Mayran said. For newcomers, SLBI offers a Luxury Integration Program that provides academic and operational knowledge to start a career in the luxury business. It involves two months of classes on the history of the business, understanding customers' needs and expectations and quality of service, and a two-months internship with a luxury goods or services company. The classes will be taught in Korean. Also offered are luxury specialization programs for students who want to concentrate on one particular industry. Students can choose to specialize in fashion; leather goods and accessories; high-end hotels; watches and jewelry; or cosmetics and fragrance. The Luxury Middle Management Program caters to middle-management professionals who want to acquire more knowledge and skills in luxury management. The program includes classes on luxury marketing and communication, business planning and management of quality of service, which will be taught half in Korean and English. Top executives, brand managers and division directors can take the Luxury Executive Management Program, which was developed by HEC Paris. Classes will tackle building and maintaining brands, luxury marketing, globalization, and consumer behavior. Participants who finish the executive management course will be awarded a certificate from the HEC Paris Executive Education and will receive credit toward the HEC Executive MBA Program in France. All classes will be taught in English. Leading branding authority and HEC professor for marketing Jean-Noel Kapferer has been named the director of the luxury executive management program at SLBI. He is the author of ten books on communications and luxury brands, including ``Luxury Strategy,'' and ``Reinventing the Brand.'' Classes will also involve lectures and question-and-answer sessions with top executives from luxury companies. Students will also visit flagship stores, luxury hotels, and also experience art and culture through museums visits. The Seoul Luxury Business Institute (www.slbi.co.kr) may not have opened yet, but there is already definite interest from investors in opening similar institutes in other countries. Mayran said a luxury business institute will open in Paris in March, 2010, and there are plans to open one in Hong Kong either at the end of 2010 or early 2011. There are also plans for institutes in Shanghai, Tokyo, and the Middle East. cathy@koreatimes.co.kr