Art and Culture

It's Thursday and it's almost the end of week and for those of us who work during the week, I'm sure we're all letting out a sigh of relief. So for those of us who need to a little downtime during the weekend, our Michelle Kim has brought us relaxing art and culture events for us.

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Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So, what do you have for us today [Reporter : ] I have a couple theatrical plays for you today. The play 'M Butterfly' that was also made into a movie coming to Korea for the first time. Also, the play 'Model Students' portray the harsh reality of the lives of teenagers today. Here are more details on this one.

A young French diplomat falls in love with a Chinese opera diva. The love that holds strong for 20 years breaks after the diplomat gets arrested for leaking confidential information.

This play, 'M Butterfly" mixes a true story from 1986 and Puccini's opera, 'Madame Butterfly' into one story.

The play shows the stereotypes of men and women, western and eastern societies, and how fantasies can influence love.

[Interview : Kim Kwang-bo, Producer] "The main character looks at a mirror when he's looking at Song Liling . He feels kinship and finds what he doesn't have in her and grows from that love".

The play 'Model Student' tells the story of two foreign language high school students who attempt to cheat on their test due to the extreme stress of getting good grades.

However, this fails after a loner transfer student and the elitist class president take part in the plan.

The thought of how grades choose what social class you are put into brings out this harsh competition between young high schoolers.

The story is described as a self-portrait of our society today, where twisted greed can result in senseless actions.

The satirical play "Chilsu and Mansu" portrays two painters on a high-rise building yelling at the world about their lives. The audience members are able to relate to the painters worries and emotions and feel a sense of connection to the characters.

The plot hasn't changed since its first opening 20 years ago, but there are added episodes that fit perfectly with our society today

MAY 10, 2012
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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[Reporter : ] The play, ' M Butterfly' will be held until June 6th at the Sejong Center M Theater and 'Model Students' will be held until July 22nd at the Daehangno Art One Theater and "Chilsu and Mansu" will be held at the Daehangno Culture Center Feeling Hall until July 8th.

I've always thought that the education system needed to be refined because the students these daysI feel like they never get their own free time.

[Reporter : ] Exactly. I feel like students should be given many opportunities to do extracurricular activities to find activities they enjoy. Life isn't all about studying and getting accepted to prestigious colleges and universities.

I agree. Hopefully this play can help people recognize the problem and try to change their lifestyle. And moving on, you went to an exhibition[Reporter : ] Yes I did. The Gwanghwamun International Art Festival had its grand opening on April 18th. The festival is coming to an end, but the intensity of the art shows have not died down. The four artists who won the Artist of the Year award have opened a new exhibition at this festival on Wednesday.

From acrylic paintings to sculptures, the four artists portray their style and concepts in very different ways.

The room may not be necessarily divided into four sections, but the distinct artworks of each of the four artists help draw imaginary divisions in the exhibition room.

Lee Hun-Kee, Chung Myung Hee, Cho Myung Shik, and Hwang In Chul received the Artist of the Year prize, and this exhibition has opened to celebrate their nominations.

[Interview : Lee Hun Kee, Artist] "I am very grateful to everyone who gave me this prize. I'm not sure if I deserve this award but I am very thankful to know that the public appreciates my work and I'll try even harder to become a better artist for the viewers and fans".

The tension, nervousness and worries of everyday life affect the individual as they think about their problems and find ways to resolve the situation.

This shows in the artworks of Lee Hun Kee, as he tries to portray the common identity and sentiment of the people from the past and the present.

The audience is not just able to look at beautiful artworks and sculptures but also connect with their inner-self and emotions and think about their worries and what they can do to resolve the problems for a more comfortable life.

MAY 10, 2012
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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[Reporter : ] The Artist of the Year exhibition will be held until the 15th and the Gwanghwamun Art Forum will be held from the 16th to the 22nd.

So how was the exhibition[Reporter : ] First of all, all of the artworks were beautiful and I think it expressed the artists' purpose very well. And even though the concepts and ideas of each of the four artists were all different, the exhibition as a whole didn't come out as divergent or inconsistent. I think this exhibition is a great way not to just appreciate the 4 individuals but also the meaning of the artworks and see such distinct and different artworks in one exhibition.

Well I think i'll be making plans to go see this very soon. And moving on, you have the events bulletin for us as always[Reporter : ] Yes I do. I have a concert by blues singer songwriter Kangho Dallim , an exhibition on the Latin American society, and also another exhibition by the artist Leandro Erlich. Here are the details on this one.

[Reporter : ] This bulletin features 3 events.

Blues singer songwriter Kangho Dallim will be holding her concert at the Mapo Art Center Art Hall MAC on June 1st. She has just released her second album, 3 years and 8 months after her debut album had been released. Her album contains 11 songs, 9 of them she wrote and composed.

The Korea Foundation will be hosting a photography exhibition of Latin America at the Korea Foundation Culture Center Gallery until June 9th. This exhibition brings artists from 15 Latin American countries and portrays the Latin American society in three parts- reality, unreality, and distorted views of the reality.

Leandro Erlich will be holding an exhibition at the SongEun Art Space until July 7th. The SongEun Art Space is trying to have more unfamiliar artists from foreign countries that are very talented to come to Korea and show off their work.

Thank you for the update. see you tomorrow

[Reporter : ] My pleasure.

MAY 10, 2012
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr