All posts tagged: art

MMCA | what’s new in modern art

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Love the art scene in Seoul? I’m with you. I like to prepare, research, gear up and eat well right before heading to a new exhibit at a museum or gallery hopping in this crazy cool city. So when I headed out to see what was new at the MMCA in January, and I expected to be wowed. Just like the time I went before.  the day began Being excitable, and more than a little hungry, I decided the first stop needed to be food. Luckily as I walked down Yulgok-ro, a wonderfully pushy ajumma summoned me into her mandu restaurant where I promptly ordered this beauty : Honestly, I didn’t have much choice. She was very persuasive. Next, I cut through the alleys to get to the MMCA from the back, where I met this beautiful view. I admit, sometimes at modern art museums, you can be thoroughly underwhelmed or even walk away uncomfortable and confused. The first exhibit was a hipster spectacular about food called Activating the City: Urban Gastronomy. They had some information …

autumn | design

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Nothing is like autumn. Saying adios to 90 degree heat and the ever persistent humidity that creeps into my hair sending it whisping all over my head like a maniac’s crown  gives me a renewed energy. Saying hello to crispy weather, comfort foods and colorful ginkgo leaves makes it all worth the torture. It is the best part of the year and the part I wait (somewhat) patiently for during those other three seasons. This autumn: I’ll be making amazing things in the kitchen (and probably some disasters as well 🙂 ). Going to new places (getting my Vitamin D). And getting the most out of this weather. My Pinterest page has exploded with ideas, itineraries and designing the most autumnist of autumns. I will rule Autumn 2016.     to make wild mushroom lasagna by delallo kimchi udon stir fry by pickledplum savory tomato tarts with goat cheese by yellow lemon tree weeknight vegetable curry by smitten kitchen portuguese chicken with crispy potatoes by feasting at home last but not least, korean spiced chili from hapa …

A Brief Guide to Gamcheon | Busan

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The colors. The COLORS. Gamcheon Village, located in sunny Busan, is a beauty and conundrum to behold. Built into the sides of a mountain, the former slum is a kaleidoscope of pastel colored Tetris pieces, painted in 2009 to entice spectators and tourists up one hell of a steep slope. And it is worth it, if only for the spectacular views and creativity. Tourists have access to so many places in Gamcheon, walking around what feels like people’s private properties. One might wonder how they get the necessities of life into the cozy, cement houses nestled so close to one another. I caught a glimpse inside one residence to see a full size refrigerator, the likes of which I don’t have, and could not stop thinking about what they had to do to maneuver that beast up the mountain slope and through the nonexistent “streets” the rest of the trip. I was at once both envious and confused. Gamcheon is dotted with galleries, street art, street food and cafes.  I loved all the colors, the vibrant feel, the artisanal quality of …

9 Lights in 9 Rooms | Spatial Illumination

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D Museum is a hike up a sleepy hill in Hannam but the contents of Spatial Illumination made it worth the huff and puff to get there. Like stepping into another world, the exhibit puts you inside the whimsy and fun, color and light. Here lies our own personal wonderland that you can share with a chunk of the Seoul population if you go after noon on a holiday (like me 😀 ). The displays are bold, big, gorgeous and inspiring. Each room flows from the last but each distinct and surprising. I loved each part separately and as a whole. The exhibit runs through May 8th, so get there soon. They do allow all the pictures you want to take so the place is very popular with the young crowd.  The last weekend will no doubt be packed like a sardine can. NEON FORMS (AFTER NOH II AND III) by Cerith Wyn Evans PRIMARY by Flynn Talbot LINE FADE by Erwin Redl CHROMOSATURATION by Carlos Cruz-Diez MIRROR BRANCH by Studio Roso MY WHALE by Tundra BOURRASQUE by Paul Cocksedge DON’T LOOK INTO THE …

Candles for a Cause

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I spent the best two hours last Sunday in a candle making class for one in the most adorable of shops in Jongno near Samcheongdong. If you know me well you know that this was basically as good as living a dream for me.  This is one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, parts of Seoul. Just being in the area is a good day for me but I got to actually spend time creating things in a handmade candle and jewelry shop. The best part? It was for charity! For 30,000 won you will be donating proceeds to CATS, Whisker’s Ministop. This is a beautiful organization that homes cats waiting for adoption. It is run by one woman who I quite literally don’t know how she does it all on her own.  She works a full time job, takes care of all her cats in the shelter and is always ready to help with her fosters as well. I took in my little Bacchus from CATS as a foster and fell madly in …

Arario Museum | Jongno

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I visit a lot of museums which allows me to visit some really fascinating worlds. Sometimes, they are amazingly weird and curious things. Sometimes, those things are peculiar and have an oh so unsubtle hint of dread and horror.  All in good fun, though, I’m sure. Arario Museum is a weird and wonderful world.  At times, the weird outweighs the wonderful, like the plastic mold of an artist’s head, hollowed out and filled to the brim with the artist’s real blood. Or the sparkling deer made of glass bubbles, which looks straight from Narnia, until you peek closer and realize that underneath the translucent glass bubbles is a real taxidermy deer attached to the back of another taxidermy deer. But, then there are other things that are fun and spectacular. There is an entire room dedicated to Keith Haring. There are the absurd self portraits of Cindy Sherman, which are every woman’s hilarious nightmare reflected back at us. There is also the building itself, which is dreamlike with its small circular stairwells, exposed brick, beautiful, ivy covered windows …

Panda Invasion!

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Seoul gets some pretty damn adorable art installations. (See Rubber Duck!)  Just another reason to love this city. The latest installation that has captured the hearts of girls all over Korea is 1600 Pandas+. The name says it all, really, the exhibit is 1600+ paper mache pandas that have been on a world tour for seven years.  The pandas actual number 1800 and there’s a good reason for that. The installation’s main objective when it was created in 2008 was to bring awareness to the fact that there were only 1600 pandas living in the wild and in danger of becoming extinct. But the number has grown because of more eco-awareness. So yeah, it’s the most adorable invasion ever, but the message is working. That’s a pretty amazing thing in and of itself.

Gallery Hopping | Jongno

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If you want a feel of authentic Seoul, I’d argue you need to head to the north side of the Han.  As I do much of my day tripping in the southern half, I relish the times I get to go to one of my favorite areas, Jongno.  My actual intention was the visit one gallery I had my eye on and ended up in an independent bookstore, three galleries and a museum. That’s the ridiculously cool thing about settling down in a living, breathing city like Seoul. You can always pick a location and find plenty to do in that area which can include, but is not limited to: entertainment, food, coffee and a cocktail. And depending where you go, each of those things can be an experience.

Insadong | Art Galleries

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I know, I know. For every beautiful piece of art in a gallery in Insadong, there is also  a thousand  tourists all hankering for deals on cheap, traditional looking Korean goods to fight through on your way to the art. I feel your pain, really…but if it is any consolation, and I hope that it is, the galleries have almost no people to fight through compared to the little shops along the way. It’s a complete and total shame for the tourists that they miss out on all the artwork …but …their loss is most certainly my gain. So for those of us who live, work and breathe in Seoul far longer than the tourists, I do highly suggest going to Insadong because the art scene is still alive and gorgeous. Last weekend I had a fantastic time in two galleries.