J-pop art

Exhibit Features Japanese Pop Art

"Girlhood" by Satomi Gouda is part of the "Spot! Japanese Contemporary Art" exhibit at Gallery Ihn.

/ Courtesy of Gallery Ihn

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

With its whimsical combination of Japanese pop culture and ukiyo-e or woodblock print tradition, Japanese contemporary art works are increasingly gaining notice around the world. Takahashi Murakami and Yoshimoto Nara are some of the most well known Japanese contemporary artists today. Buyers around the world are snapping up their works like hotcakes.

Keen interest is also being shown in the second generation of Japanese contemporary artists, who are seen as following in the footsteps of Murakami and Nara.

``Spot! Japanese Contemporary Art,'' currently held at Gallery Ihn in Samcheongdong, gives visitors a chance to view the works of nine artists including Hiroyuki Matsuura, Mayuka Yamamoto, Reiko Sakurai and Yosuke Ueno.

``The point of this exhibition is to observe the evolution of Japanese contemporary art and how the second generation has moved on after the first one (J-pop). We will spotlight the position of evolving Japanese art these days,'' curator Yang Ji-ni said in the exhibition brochure.

The artworks may simply seem cute, but actually show a distinct Japanese sensibility. At the gallery, odd-shaped cartoon-like sculptures sit on one side, while a team of candy-colored bunny costume-wearing children stand on the other. Paintings depicting odd characters, skull heads and flirtatious schoolgirls are on the walls.



Matsuura, who won the 2001 ``scout prize'' at the young artists GEISAI project conceived by Murakami, is seen as one of the most promising artists today. Starting his career as a graphic designer, Matsuura creates unique characters based on people he knows. His painting ``Frozen Blue'' shows a wide-eyed kimono-clad girl, while ``Windy Bunny'' is a series of installations featuring colorful bunny outfit-wearing children.

Yamamoto also has a fascination for depicting children wearing animal outfits. His paintings show innocent-looking children in mouse and penguin costumes, stirring up motherly instincts in the viewers.

The wide-eyed schoolgirl, a quintessential Japanese character in anime (cartoons) and manga (comics), is present in the works of both Sakurai and Satomi Gouda.


"Weather Girl" by Reiko SakuraiSakurai creates a cute girl character looking cheerful amid clouds and rainbows in one work, while the same girl looks melancholic with a black background in another work. On the other hand, in Gouda's paintings ``Girlhood'' and ``Blue Flower,'' schoolgirls are seen floating dreamily in a blue space.

Asa Go, a Japanese-Korean artist, touches on the division of the Korean Peninsula in her works. In ``You and ME,'' she made a painting of the Korean Peninsula, while a pink jeweled birdcage featuring a trapped character hangs in the foreground. Another piece named ``Distance'' shows a young girl and rabbit peering through binoculars while standing across the hall from each other, signifying the distance between North and South Korea.

Naoki Koide's sculpture ``New Home'' features characters with huge lips, oversized heads and expressionless faces. Chika Hattori's paintings feature animals like cats and birds in soft colors and minimalist detail.

Yosuke Ueno creates edgy, almost video game-like graphics in works like ``Negative Never Again.'' ``Mirror'' by Ryoko Kato sends a warning about pollution and environmental degradation.

``Fortunately, the new Japanese artists are succeeding in inheriting the identity and pursuing versatility and creativity to target the world market. And those young artists who made their own diverse techniques have gained international fame like their predecessors. The exhibition, where tradition and modernity meet together, creates an unfamiliar identity different from former ones, in consequence, it draws us into it effectively,'' Yang said.

The exhibit runs through July 20. Visit www.galleryihn.com or call (02) 732-4677.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

templestay

Night at the Temple

Participants at Baekdamsa's templestay listen to the head monk as he gives instructions on "ulyeok" or community work. Everything, including work, is considered a way of practicing Buddhism and meditation.

/ Korea Times Photos by Shim Hyun-chul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Han Sang-hee,
Staff Reporters

Baekdamsa ― Spending a weekend at a temple is becoming increasingly popular these days, with more people seeking refuge from the noisy city to find peace of mind.

Many temples now offer weekend-stay programs, luring Koreans, foreign tourists and expatriates who want to experience the life of Buddhist monks at their picturesque sites dotted around Korea.

Baekdamsa, located in Mt. Seorak National Park, is one of the favorite venues for temple stay programs. Beautiful mountains and creeks surround the temple, which offers interesting programs.

The Korea Times team traveled four hours by car from Seoul to Baekdamsa, braving the weekend traffic on the highways, intermittent rain showers and the winding roads leading to the temple.

Seeing the temple nestled between majestic mountains and surrounded by fog and forests was like soothing balm to our tired nerves. Walking on the bridge, decorated with Lotus lanterns, we were taking a step from the stressful world to the serenity of nature and Buddhism.

The temple was first built in 647 and suffered numerous fires and reconstructions. The temple standing now was built in 1957. Many famous philosophers and monks visited and meditated at Baekdamsa, Han Yong-un (1879-1944) being one of them. A poet, independence fighter and a monk, Han studied and meditated at Baekdamsa. The temple is also known as the so-called ``exile'' of former President Chun Doo-hwan during the late 1980s.

The standard temple stay program at Baekdamsa takes around 24 hours, starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday and ending on Sunday. The program starts with a brief introduction on the activities, such as ye-bool or Buddhist ceremonial service; cham-seon or Seon meditation; balwoo-gongyang or Buddhist meal with traditional bowls; dado or tea ceremony; and ulyeok or community work.



At the beginning of the templestay, participants are given a tour of the temple and the nearby forest. Shim Kwang-seob from the Korea Environment Movement Center was one of the forest guides and he was more than eager to share his expertise on the trees and animals living around the temple.

``It's important to appreciate the surroundings. Nothing should be taken for granted. Because temples are mostly located in mountains, understanding the surroundings is also a part of the whole meditation process,'' he explained.

Participants were also given a chance to play with the four temple treasures or ``dharma instruments,'' namely the gigantic bell, drum, cloud-shaped gong and moktak or wooden fish-shaped percussion instrument.

``It's all about your attitude. The four different instruments represent every living creature, even germs. So when you play them, you must be sincere and really mean it. It's not a game, but all part of a ritual of celebrating life,'' Ven. Samjo, the head monk of Baekdamsa, said before showing an example.

For dinner, participants experienced the balwoo-gongyang, where each is given a set of four wooden bowls, chopsticks and spoon wrapped in cloth. Everyone had to sit in a lotus position and should not speak or make any noise, except for the special prayer.



The balwoo signifies a precise amount of food that is needed for bodily sustenance and given to a person. Participants should only get the rice and food (mostly vegetables and kimchi) that they can eat, and not a grain of rice should remain in the bowls.

At first, water is poured on the bowl and used to clean each of the bowls. Then, rice is placed on the biggest bowl, soup on the second bowl, kimchi and vegetables on the third bowl, while the last bowl is filled with water. A single piece of kimchi is dipped in the water, and placed in the rice bowl, but it is not to be eaten. After eating, the piece of kimchi is used to wipe the bowls clean.

For someone new to the Buddhist meal, the process is difficult to follow because of all the specific rules. Monks believe that eating is a form of meditation, but for beginners the experience can be tedious and stressful because of the pressure not to leave a single morsel in your bowl.

Everyone had to drink the same water used to clean the bowls. Fresh water is once again poured on the bowls for a final cleaning, and then collected in two big pails. The monk compared the water from the two pails, and the group with the dirtiest water was ``punished'' by having to drink a teaspoon of the ``dirty'' water. While it is important to be respectful of the Buddhist monks' way of life, this struck us as disgusting, not to mention unsanitary.

One of the most important activities during the temple stay is the Seon meditation, which involves concentration with the aim of discovering one's true self. Seon is taken from the Sanskrit word ``dhyana,'' meaning contemplation and religious meditation. Two types of meditation, sitting meditation (jwa-seon) and walking meditation (haeng-seon), are introduced.

The dado or tea ceremony may seem simple enough, but it is not just about drinking tea. The act of brewing and drinking the tea involves practicing Buddha's teaching of ``proper mindfulness and concentration.'' There is even a Buddhist saying ``da-seon-il-me,'' meaning tea and Seon taste the same.



Ye-bool is a Buddhist temple ritual that involves giving respect to Sakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, and is performed three times a day, at 3 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The pre-dawn ceremonial service begins at around 2:40 a.m. when the sound of the moktak awakens the residents. Having barely slept four hours, we woke up groggy and hungry. At 3 a.m., the ceremony begins when everyone re-enters the temple grounds with handmade candles and walk to the main hall. Inside the main hall, they bowed three times before the Buddha Altar, Guardians' Altar and Memorial Altar, while the monks chanted Buddhist prayers. Listening to the chanting at the break of dawn was like an otherworldly experience.

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects (aside from waking up at 3 a.m.) is the 108 bows. This is part of the Buddhist belief that mankind goes through 108 periods of anguish in life, and should make the 108 bows to be free from this anguish. It is considered a good meditation practice. But this reporter (Han) confesses to stopping mid-way; it was physically rigorous.

After breakfast, everyone takes part in the ``ulyeok'' or community work such as sweeping the grounds or cleaning the halls. Work is seen as a way of practicing Buddhism by cultivating patience and discipline. There is a Korean Seon rule that states: ``a day without work is a day without food.''

``I think temple stay programs are the only way to fully experience and understand Buddhism. It's so different from reading a book or watching a video. The peace, the nature and the meditation stay with you even when you go back to your daily routine in the city. Whenever I feel tired or frustrated, I try to remember my experience in the temples. I think it helps me live a more slow-paced and peaceful lifestyle,'' Kim Yong-sam, the director of the traditional arts division at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and a fellow participant, said.

Throughout the different activities, the monks explain the Buddhist philosophy and lifestyle, and guide the participants. However, foreigners should make sure to ask if the temples offer English interpretation services, or else it would be difficult and uncomfortable to follow the lectures and activities.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

Seoul

Gilsangsa

Located in Sungbuk-dong, northern Seoul, Gilsangsa is famous for Gilsang Seonwon, or Seon Center, which is used for meditation. For more information visit www.kilsangsa.or.kr or call (02) 3672-5945.

Bongeunsa

Bongeunsa is located in Samseung-dong, and despite the hustle and bustle of the city, it still manages to hold the peace and serenity of a temple. For more information visit www.bongeunsa.org or call (02) 3218-4827.

Incheon

Jeondeungsa

Jeondeungsa is the oldest temple in Korea and thus has a very rich history. It is also famous for the legendary monks who willingly became soldiers to fight against foreign invasions in the past. For more information visit www.jeondeungsa.org or call (032) 937-0125.

The Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center

The Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center is a place where many foreign monks and nuns who wish to study Korean Buddhism reside. For more information visit www.lotuslantern.net or call (032) 937-7033.

Gangwon Province

Baekdamsa

Located in Mt. Seorak National Park, Baekdamsa is famed for its breathtaking scenery and interesting programs. For more information visit www.baekdamsa.org or call (033) 462-6969.

Woljeongsa

With a dense forest of fir trees surrounding the temple, Woljeongsa is famous for various national treasures and cultural properties, including the octagonal nine-story pagoda, which is designated as National Treasure No. 48. For more information visit www.woljeongsa.org or call (033) 332-6664.

Gyeongsang Province

Jijiksa

The name of the temple holds a special meaning. Jijiksa literally means ``a temple that points directly,'' and symbolizes the pointing toward the hearts of people and thus guiding the way to truth of Buddha. For more information visit www.jijiksa.or.kr or call (054) 436-6084.

Chungcheong Province

Youngpyungsa

Located in the historic and cultural city of Gongju, the temple is built running east to west, greeting the sunrise and sunset everyday. For more information visit www.youngpyungsa.org or call (041) 857-1854.

Jeolla Province

Geumsansa

Geumsansa, or literally ``Gold Mountain Temple,'' is famous for its Maitreya Hall. The hall is designated as National Treasure No.62 and is the biggest of its kind in Asia. For more information visit www.geumsansa.org or call (063) 548-4441.

Jeju Island

Yakcheonsa

Yakcheonsa was named after the mineral water flowing alongside the temple. According to legend, the flowing water is known to have special healing powers. For more information visit www.yakcheonsa.org or call (064) 738-5000.

bill viola

Viola Explores Life, Death in 'Transfigurations'

"Acceptance,'' a black-and-white high-definition video installation by American artist Bill Viola, is part of the "Transfigurations'' exhibit at Kukje Gallery New Space. / Courtesy of Kira PerovBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Transfiguration is a word that has religious connotations. In Christianity, transfiguration is the event when Jesus Christ appeared before three apostles in ``glorified'' form.

Leading American video artist Bill Viola goes beyond the traditional Christian concept with ``Transfigurations,'' a series of exciting new video works currently shown at the Kukje Gallery New Space in Seohyeon-dong, Jongno, Seoul.

``Transfiguration is a word that means transformation, a change in form. In ancient Greek, the word was metamorphosis. The idea of metamorphosis is really an essential part of human beings. Every seven years, all the cells of your body are changed. They're all new. We are literally not the same person from year to year,'' Viola told reporters last week. He and his wife Kira Perov were in Seoul for the opening of his second solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery since 2003.

The new works are an extension of

American artist Bill Viola was recently in Seoul to attend the opening of his solo exhibition “Transfigurations” at Kukje Gallery New Space.

/ Courtesy of Kukje Gallery

``Oceans Without a Shore,'' which was shown at the 52nd Venice Biennale in June 2007.

```Oceans Without a Shore' means a kind of infinite sea that exists both inside and outside human beings. It had to do with the idea of the dead coming back to our world, spending a short time and going back to the land of shadows,'' he said.

It was the death of his father and mother in the 1990s that left a deep impression on Viola. ``I became aware at that time that our time on Earth is very short. We have to use the precious time that we are given very wisely and carefully. Buddha told us it is only our actions, the things we do and the things we make, that will outlive us and become eternal,'' he said.

Using the video materials left over from ``Oceans Without a Shore,'' Viola found a series of interesting clips showing people coming through the water wall. ``This involved multiple people coming through the water wall and having this powerful experience. ... The decision that the people make when they come through the water: should I go in there? Should I pass through or not? It became focused on this moment of individual decision,'' he said.

For Viola, transfiguration is a mind and body experience where the inner self is completely transformed. In the black-and-white videos ``Acceptance'' and ``Transfiguration,'' individuals are slowly drenched in water before disappearing into the darkness.

``Transfiguration represents is the most important capacity of human beings to completely transform their inner selves, not just the outside. All revolutions or ideas start in the human heart inside and then they move out. That's what you see happening in there with the people in these works,'' he said.



Water is a recurring theme in Viola's works, perhaps because he nearly drowned in a lake when he was six years old. ``When I was on the bottom of the lake, I saw the most beautiful world, so peaceful that it was like paradise. I wanted to stay there forever, but then my uncle came in and pulled me out. Since that time, I've been trying to get back and connect to that place again,'' he said.

His attempt to recapture the beauty he saw under water could be seen in ``Five Angels for the Millennium,'' which features five color video walls. Each of the works, Departing Angel, Birth Angel, Fire Angel, Ascending Angel and Creation Angel, shows the dramatic underwater image of a figure ascending to the surface.

Viola is considered one of the pioneers of video art, having created architectural video installations, sound environments, electronic music performances and flat panel video pieces, in the past 35 years.

Viola's video installations are described as ``total environments that envelop the viewer in image and sound and employ state-of-the-art technologies, distinguished by their precision and direct simplicity.'' He is known for tackling universal human experiences like birth and death and spiritual themes rooted in Eastern and Western religions.

``Transfigurations" the exhibit features 13 video installations and runs through July 31. His videos run from anywhere between six minutes to more than 20 minutes. Visit www.kukjegallery.com.

``Oceans Without a Shore'' is on display at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, through Oct. 26. Visit www.moca.go.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

seoul's quirks

Two Artists Look at Seoul’s Quirks

Some of the Mobile Food boxes that will be delivered at the opening of the exhibit at Gallery Door July 1. / Courtesy of the artists
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Korea can be a confusing, fascinating and even somewhat infuriating place for foreigners.

At first glance, Korea, especially Seoul may seem like any other bustling metropolis, with efficient subways, posh department stores and crowded streets.

Soon, however, the little quirks of the city emerge: the often, nonsensical ``Konglish'' or Korean-English names of stores; rampaging motorbikes as much on the sidewalks as streets; and mushrooming street food stalls that emerge at night.

Artists Ron Saunders from the United States and Dirk van Lieshout, also known as Dirk Studio, from the Netherlands collaborated on a project-exhibition called ``Mobile Food." The exhibition, which opens Tuesday at Gallery Door, Hongdae, show how the two artists ``combined their shared knowledge of Seoul, one fresh and one informed, to observe the signature of city."

The Korea Times sat down for an interview with the two artists a few days ago, while they were preparing for the exhibition.

``This collaboration came from our ideas about Korea, looking at it as artists. We find things are quite fascinating. It's not culture shock, but being inundated with new things. We enjoy using those things in our works," Saunders said.

Saunders and van Lieshout only met a few months ago through a common friend, but found out they both had similar ideas about creating a magazine. They quickly started working on the Mobile Food project.

The Mobile Food project is an offshoot from van Lieshout's Mobile Studio project that started in 2006. For Mobile Studio, he created a portable cardboard studio that can be boxed up and shipped to any place in the world he goes to. ``I created the Mobile Studio to be flexible. It's about the place, time and city. It's a way for me to react to the surroundings," van Lieshout said.



The Mobile Food exhibit will feature cardboard boxes, postcards and a magazine. The big brown cardboard box is printed with sketches of typical Seoul scenes, like street food stalls. Saunders explained how the cardboard box is used as a symbol of how Korea is just a temporary home for foreigners.

``Each city has its particular way of presenting itself, which forces the artist to work in a different way. Seoul in particular presents the viewer with an overwhelming view of commerce. Companies and business are created and then quickly replaced. Everyday is an ongoing process of creation and recreation," said Saunders and while van Lieshout, in a joint artist statement for Mobile Food.

Saunders has been living here on and off for the past three years, while van Lieshout has been in Seoul for two months, as an artist in residence at Sssamzie Gallery.

As part of the exhibit, they made a magazine also titled Mobile Food. The magazine pages are filled with photographs of everyday scenes in Seoul and digitally altering it.

Photographs of buildings, motorbikes, shops and food stalls may seem ordinary to Koreans who consider it as part of everyday life, but foreigners consider these as unusual, exotic and sometimes, humorous.

``We are just totally appropriating everything we see. The sign (on the magazine cover) was not even Mobile Food. It was originally Mobile something else, so we changed the words to make it Food. The whole magazine is kind of like that," Saunders said

At the opening night at Gallery Door, the artists are preparing a performance that will feature the delivery men on motorbikes arriving with the Mobile Food boxes and doumi girls will sell the Mobile Food magazines.
Saunders said the seemingly mundane sights of motorbikes and doumi girls will be repositioned ``unusual" since they will be inside a gallery.

Mobile Food runs through July 5 at Gallery Door. Visit www.thedoor.co.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

remember me?

'Shopaholic' Author Returns With New Book

British author Sophie Kinsella, best known for the Shopaholic series, is back with a new book, ``Remember Me'' about a young woman who loses her memory of the last three years of her life.
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

What if you woke up one day to discover you are living a ``dream'' life? You're beautiful, rich, successful and married to a millionaire. The only problem is: you don't have any memory of how you got this ``dream'' life.

This is the plot of the new novel ``Remember Me,'' by British chick lit author Sophie Kinsella, best known for the hugely successful Shopaholic series.

Kinsella once again created an endearing character named Lexi Smart, who wakes up on a hospital bed after a car accident. Suffering from retrograde amnesia, Lexi thinks it is still 2004 and she's 25 years old with bad teeth, a horrible boyfriend and crappy job.

It turns out it is 2007 and she now a 28-year-old executive with perfectly fixed teeth, a slim figure, a millionaire husband and a Louis Vuitton handbag. Lexi goes home and finds she's living in a posh apartment and has a closet full of designer clothes, bags and shoes.

At first she's ecstatic about her ``new life," but cracks begin to show as she wonders why her best friends never call back and her co-workers treat her with disdain.

To her dismay, she discovers the ``new'' Lexi is an aggressive executive who ruthlessly climbed the corporate ladder and had no qualms about selling out her friends and co-workers.

``The more I learn about 28-year-old Lexi, the more I feel like she's a different person from me. She doesn't just look different. She is different. … She's a grown-up. I gaze into the mirror and my 28-year-old face stares back. How on earth did I get from me to her,'' Lexi asks herself.

Even her perfect husband, Eric, is not so perfect after all. He's drop-dead gorgeous but a complete control freak who gets annoyed when Lexi leaves her purse in the hallway, forbids any carbohydrates in the home and asks her to pay for a pricey sculpture she breaks.

Then a good-looking architect named Jon enters her life and reveals a shocking secret, Lexi tries to find out what exactly happened during the last three years. Even as you find out more about Lexi's past, you'll find yourself rooting for her until the end.

Remember Me is a typical chick lit novel that indulges in women's wish fulfillment. In the Shopaholic series, it was all about shopping, but in Remember Me, it's about leading the ``perfect'' life.

``Remember Me is maybe the ultimate form of wish fulfillment. What if you didn't recognize your life ... because it had become so perfect? The image that kept coming to me was of a girl, blinking up at her Greek God of a husband, whom she doesn't recognize. It made me giggle every time I thought about it. And so I created my amnesiac heroine Lexi, and her perfect new glossy, unrecognizable life. The potential for comedy was irresistible,'' Kinsella wrote on her Web site.

In typical Kinsella fashion, Lexi is placed in hilarious situations as she forgets how to drive, tries to figure out her new hi-tech home and a little something called the Mont Blanc.

Women always dream of having it all: money, career and husband, and work so hard to achieve this dream. But when their dreams come true, it is usually not what they expect.

Any woman one can relate to Lexi's search for her identity. Women often lead busy lives that leave little time to look in the mirror and think about who they have become.

``Our lives take unpredictable turns and we all change over time. But it's so gradual we don't always notice it. Would your younger self recognize your older self? Put another way, if you woke up tomorrow in the year 2011 ... what would you find,'' Kinsella asked.

The amnesia storyline is not something new. A recent American TV comedy ``Samantha Who,'' stars Christina Applegate as a young woman who wakes up from a coma with no memory at all of her previous life. As she discovers more about her life, the more Samantha realizes she wasn't a good person.

Like Samantha, Lexi tries to compensate for her past misdeeds and struggles to build a new life. Does she succeed? Well, read the book to find out.

No chick lit book would be complete without the requisite romantic storyline, but it is not the main focus of the book. Then again, the book is about a woman's journey to find out who she really is and every woman knows that you don't need a man to do that.

Overall, Remember Me is the perfect summer book: funny, entertaining and hard to put down.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

jason mraz

Jason Mraz Returns to Seoul in August

Jason Mraz keeps his promise made to Korean fans and returns to Seoul stage Aug. 1-2. His second concert for the year will be held at MelOn-AX, northeastern Seoul. / Courtesy of Private Curve
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is coming back to Seoul next month for two concerts promoting his brand new album ``We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.''
It's been only four months since Mraz staged a concert here in March, but his fans have been clamoring for his return. He will give concerts Aug. 1-2 at the MelOn-AX, northeastern Seoul.

In an e-mail interview with The Korea Times, Mraz said his latest album is his favorite out of all his works. ``It's an upbeat, optimistic, danceable album with familiar melodies you can instantly sing-a-long to,'' he said.

``We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' his first album in nearly three years, shows how Mraz has matured as an artist. The album's title comes from words in a drawing by Scottish artist David Shrigley. Shrigley also drew the portrait of Mraz for the album cover.

Mraz said real life and people always inspired his albums. ``The album is about gratitude, awareness, peace and love. The songs are inspired by real people, life lessons, and moments of realization,'' he said.

In the album, he sang a duet ``Lucky'' with Colbie Caillat, one of today's hottest singer-songwriters. He described working with Caillat as a ``dream.'' He also named ``Lucky,'' a sweet up-tempo song, as his favorite track off the album.

Mraz also worked with his good friend and singer James Morrison on ``Details on the Fabric.'' Also included on the album is ``I'm Yours,'' which became a hit on the Internet last year; and ballads ``Love For A Child'' and ``Beautiful Mess.''

Mraz is known for writing witty and positive lyrics and composing cheerful melodies. Many of the songs from his latest album were created through a songwriting game he played with other artists including Texas-based songwriter Bob Schneider. Schneider gives a topic or phrase, which Mraz has to use in a song.

For example, ``Dynamo of Volition'' was the result of Mraz being asked to use the phrase ``blind man's bike'' in a song.

His songs are always incurably happy, unlike those by other singer-songwriters who write melancholic songs. The positive native of his songs are a reflection of Mraz's own sunny personality. ``I choose to be happy in this life experience. Therefore my own self-work carries over into the music I make,'' he said.

As someone who struggled as an artist before making it big in 2002 with the song ``The Remedy (I Won't Worry),'' Mraz offers some advice for young singers and songwriters who dream of success.

``Just play and be humble. Don't expect anyone to hand you a career. Just by sitting somewhere and being passionate about your own craft, you will catch the attention of the world,'' he said.

His concert in Seoul last March was a huge success, judging from the thousands of fans who came to see him. ``It was so fun! I was so happy that so many people came with their singing voices and their dancing shoes,'' Mraz said.

When asked about his upcoming concerts in Seoul, Mraz is not yet sure about which songs he will sing. ``I can't predict the future so I'm not sure what the song choice will be that night. But I can promise more dancing, hand clapping and audience participation than ever,'' he said.

Sing, dance and clap the night away with Mraz Aug. 1-2 at the MelOn-AX (Gwangnaru Subway Line 5, Exit 2). Tickets are 77,000 won. Call (02) 563-0595 or visit ticket.interpark.co.kr. For English ticket information, send e-mail to info@privatecurve.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

alicia keys

Alicia Keys Talks About AIDS, Music

R&B star Alicia Keys returns to Seoul for a concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium on Aug. 7.

/ Courtesy of SonyBMG

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Grammy award-winning R&B superstar Alicia Keys is busy with a world concert tour and a budding acting career, but she still finds time to help children with AIDS in Africa.

In an interview with The Korea Times, Keys talked about her documentary ``Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland,'' her music and upcoming movie.

Keys, co-founder of the Keep a Child Alive foundation, recently released a documentary of her trip to South Africa, Uganda and Kenya. Directed by South African filmmaker Earle Sebastian, it shows inspiring stories of children and families affected by AIDS and Keep a Child Alive's projects such as providing anti-retroviral medicine for children with AIDS.

``It is a truly remarkably uplifting, inspiring and fantastic documentary, just really about the resilience and the beauty of life there. It's not something that makes you feel helpless and hopeless after you've seen it. Instead, it makes you feel totally motivated and excited,'' she said.

The documentary can be viewed or downloaded for free on www.aliciainafrica.com. Keys is very passionate about helping people with AIDS in Africa, and hopes people will be inspired by the documentary and make donations.

``We're so confident that people are going to be moved by what they see that they're going to want to donate right there. I think it's a really innovative way to get people involved in what's going on and not make them feel like they're forced to donate. It makes them feel inspired to become involved,'' she said.

Keys is still considered one of the best singer-songwriters around today. For her third album ``As I Am," the 27-year-old American artist confessed she was more experimental with her music.

``I learned so much about myself that I wanted to take away any kind of inhibitions. I just wanted to allow myself to explore music in a brand new way so, even with myself, the way that I worked and the process of working was just more full of abandonment. It was just experimental and I didn't put as many restrictions on myself. … I just allowed it to happen and I think that created some of the best music I've ever done,'' she said.

One of her favorites from the album is ``No One,'' which she describes as a very triumphant and strong song. Another favorite is ``Superwoman,'' which has an inspiring message for everyone.

``The beauty of Superwoman is that it's really not about being all-powerful and all perfect, because no one is. But it's about our perfection in our weakness and our perfection in our imperfections. And that we can still keep going and we can still learn and we can still remain strong and even when we're feeling weak, we can still be Superwoman and Supermen,'' Keys said

There are already plans for the next album, but Keys says she's still undecided. She's tossing around a couple of ideas, ranging from a simple but raw Carole King-style album to a totally different, conceptual album.

``You never know because music is music and it comes naturally. I definitely think there's thought that can be put into it to create different avenues, but I like it to just flow naturally,'' she said

Keys has also been busy with her acting career, having appeared in ``The Nanny Diaries'' and ``Smoking Aces.'' This fall, she will appear in ``The Secret Life of Bees,'' co-starring with Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson.

Keys will return to Seoul for a concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium on Aug. 7. She still remembers how passionate the Korean audience was during her last concert in 2004.

While other artists have a different persona on stage, Keys said she's very much herself when she's performing. ``Some people turn into another person on stage, and when they're off stage, they're totally different. But me, the things I say, the things that I do, the way that I speak, what I'm talking about or the message I'm trying to deliver is pretty consistent with who I am,'' she said.

Ticket prices for the concert range from 100,000 won to 200,000 won. For ticket inquiry and booking in English, call (02) 722-6505. Visit ticket.interpark.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr