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Category: Arts & Culture

A Sacred Emblem: Trefoil in Early Korean Metalwork and Beyond with Dr. Minjee Kim

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Photo credit: Ruth Hogben for ABT

Trefoil or “three-leaved plant” is a stylized form found in artifacts and architecture across culture and time. Dr. Minjee Kim begins the story with her first encounter with a gold headdress ornament of the Balhae kingdom (698-926) and traces the migration of its trefoil form throughout the 4th-6th century across Asia. Then, she travels to France, where “fleur-de-lis” adorned French crowns, clothing, textiles, and furniture as a symbol of royalty, leading to its wide contemporary appropriation by many Western institutions. The journey ends with the long and rich tradition in Kyrgyzstan where the motif is still strongly embedded in various realms of material culture of the people.

While offering a view on Korean artifacts within a wider context of material resonance in human history, Dr. Kim highlights the way these artifacts adorned the body and how the craftsmanship was employed to articulate the social hierarchy.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

A Sacred Emblem: Trefoil in Early Korean Metalwork and Beyond
with Dr. Minjee Kim

Thursday, October 8, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Minjee Kim is a historian and lecturer specializing in Korean dress and textiles, based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2001. She received her PhD from Seoul National University, and formerly taught at Jeonju Kijeon College and Seoul National University in Korea, and Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is a co-editor of Korean Dress History: Critical Perspectives on Primary Sources  (London: Bloomsbury, forthcoming in 2021).

 

 

A Conversation with Hee Seo

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Photo credit: Ruth Hogben for ABT

Listen to our conversation with Hee Seo, the first Asian ballerina to be named principal dancer – ballet’s highest title – at the American Ballet Theatre, as she discusses her illustrious career and thoughts on the future of performing art.

Her dancing and fluid line exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet. – The New York Times

 

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Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

A Conversation with Hee Seo
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hee Seo began her ballet training in her hometown at the Sun-hwa Arts Middle School. She continued her training at the Universal Ballet Academy in Washington, D. C.and at the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart. She is the recipient of the 2003 Prix de Lausanne Award and the 2003 Grand Prix at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York. Seo joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in 2004 and the main Company as an apprentice in May 2005. Seo was appointed a Soloist in August 2010 and a Principal Dancer in July 2012. In 2015, Seo established Hee Seo Foundation in Korea to help underprivileged prospective ballet dancers.

 

 

East Goes West: Younghill Kang, His Life and Works

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Drawing by Karl Stevens for the New York Review of Books

What if the finest, funniest, craziest, sanest, most cheerfully depressing Korean-American novel was also one of the first? – Ed Park

Join Alexander Chee and Ed Park in their conversation on Younghill Kang, the first Korean-American novelist and a pioneer of Asian American literature. As they discuss the life and career of Kang and his novel East Goes West, the two eminent writers reflect on the emergence of Korean American literature in the 20th century and Kang’s legacy.

Central to it are the lives of the other Koreans….living in America, all waiting for their full humanity— and their intellectual and artistic gifts — to be recognized. – Alexander Chee

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To order East Goes West, please visit:
 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606933/east-goes-west-by-younghill-kang-foreword-by-alexander-chee-afterword-and-notes-by-sunyoung-lee/

East Goes West: Younghill Kang, His Life and Works
with Alexander Chee and Ed Park

Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Alexander Chee is the bestselling author of the novels The Queen of the Night and Edinburgh and the essay collection How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. The winner of a Whiting Award, he is an associate professor of English and creative writing at Dartmouth College.

Ed Park is the author of the novel Personal Days and the founding editor of The Believer. He has been a newspaper, magazine, and book editor, and his writings have appeared in the New York Times and the New York Review of Books.

 

 

Soonchoel Byun Eternal Family

Posted on by Yurim Oh

@Byun Soonchoel. Courtesy of the artist and ARARIO GALLERY

September 8 – February 26, 2021|

Exhibition extended through February 26, 2021

The Korea Society presents Soonchoel Byun: Eternal Family, his first solo exhibition in New York in two decades. In his Eternal Family series, Byun imagines and digitally creates a reunion between family members separated by the Korean War. Created with utmost sensitivity and respect for the personal and historical tragedy, Byun’s art is a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of the war that still remains today.

Soonchoel Byun (b. 1969) studied at the School of Visual Art in New York, and he has exhibited widely since then. Known for his vivid portraits of people from diverse backgrounds, Byun presents a candid yet sincere depiction of contemporary Korean life as it evolves with time.

The Korea Society Gallery will be closed December 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), our gallery is open only by appointment. The appointment must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit. To make an appointment, please contact info@koreasociety.org. All visitors will be required to wear a mask as well as complete the safety questionnaire upon arrival.

 

Soonchoel Byun
Eternal Family

September 8 – February 26, 2021

@ The Korea Society 
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, NYC

Gallery hours: (M-F) 10 AM – 4:30 PM by appointment

**Pre-registration is now required for all Korea Society events, and an ID is required for security.**

For more information, please contact info@koreasociety.org or call (212) 759-7525.

 

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New Narratives in Korea: Drawings for My Grandchildren

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Image Credit: Instagram @drawings_for_my_grandchildren

In this interview series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea.

Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina are influencers on Instagram, perhaps unlike anyone else you see on that platform, maybe just because of their age. Their Instagram account Drawings for My Grandchildren started in 2015, for which Grandpa Chan draws and Grandma Marina writes stories of their lives for their grandchildren. After 1100 posts and almost 400,000 followers, Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina have been claimed by their followers all around the world as their own grandparents.

In this episode, Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina share their adventures and success on social media, and how they stay connected and communicate with the younger generation.

 

New Narratives in Korea: Drawings for My Grandchildren
PREMIERES: Monday, August 31, 2020

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Chan Jae Lee and Kyung Ja Ahn are known as Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina to their almost 400,000 followers on Instagram and over 500,000 followers on TikTok. They are the winners of two 2019 Webby Awards in the Art and Culture category, winning both the main award and the People’s Voice award, which is voted by the public. After living in São Paulo, Brazil, for over three decades, they now live outside of Seoul, South Korea.

 

 

BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears with Tamar Herman

Posted on by Yurim Oh

America’s leading authority on BTS, K-Pop, and East Asian entertainment, Tamar Herman returns to the Korea Society with her book BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears.

BTS has conquered Western music charts and social media on their way to being the biggest band in the world. With record-breaking firsts and three Billboard No. 1 albums within a year, their music and messaging has gone on to transcend the limitations of language, geography, and genre.

Going behind-the-scenes of today’s biggest pop band and focusing on the members, the music and the fans, Tamar Herman brings the extraordinary story of BTS to life.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

To buy BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears, please visit:
 https://www.viz.com/read/book/blood-sweat-tears-bts-their-music/product/6380

BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears
with Tamar Herman

Wednesday, August 12, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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About the Speaker:

Tamar Herman is a New York City-based journalist specializing in international music and media with a focus on the Asian pop culture market and its trends. In addition to her role as pop correspondent at Billboard, she has written for outlets including NBC News, Forbes, and Entertainment Weekly, and appears in the “K-Pop” episode of Vox’s Explained docu series on Netflix. She serves as the managing editor of K-Pop blot KultScene and is a co-host of the Nice Jewish Fangirls podcast.

 

New Narratives in Korea: Manhwa with Creators of Banned Book Club

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In this series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea.

In this second episode, we explore the world of “manhwa,” the world of Korean graphic novels and comic books, with the creators of just-published Banned Book Club: how was “manhwa” consumed by South Koreans in the past and present, how it is influencing and being adopted into different forms of entertainment, and how the new generation of writers and illustrators are using it to tell their own stories.

New Narratives in Korea: Manhwa with Creators of Banned Book Club

PREMIERES: Monday, August 3, 2020

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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About the Speaker:

Kim Hyun Sook is the co-author of the graphic novel memoir Banned Book Club and a contributor to The Nib.

Ryan Estrada is the author of Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon and the co-author of Banned Book Club. He has also contributed to many comic series, including Star Trek, Popeye and Garfield.

Ko Hyung-Ju is a manhwa artist and college student who illustrated Banned Book Club as well as other stories for Lehzin Comics and SIS Comics.

 

Side by Side: Streaming and A Director’s Talk

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Side by Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and Into the World weaves the stories of nine inter-country adoptees—selected out of 100 original interviews— as they recall their families of origin, their relinquishment to orphanages, and their adoptions and lives abroad. Starkly minimalist, Side by Side is composed entirely of intensely intimate, first-person narratives, filmed in Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York City, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Melbourne.

This extraordinary documentary will be available for free streaming for three days, July 18-20.

Co-director and Producer Glenn Morey will join the Korea Society for a director’s talk on July 20.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. Streaming and live webcast will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

Sign up here to receive the viewing link

 

Side by Side: Streaming and A Director’s Talk

Monday, July 20, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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About the Speaker:

Glenn Morey has worked in film since 1981 as a writer, creative director, commercial and documentary filmmaker, including as an Executive Producer for the Mustapha Khan documentary film, House on Fire: Black America Responds to AIDS, featuring Julian Bond, Rep. Maxine Waters, Kweisi Mfume, Maya Angelou, and many other African-American leaders; awarded Best Documentary for the Houston International Film Festival, broadcast on PBS and selected for a number of international film festivals. As the CEO of the Morey Group of branding, advertising, and online publishing companies, he is the recipient of hundreds of creative advertising awards, as well as recognition by Adweek and Advertising Age magazines. Glenn’s personal story as an inter-country adoptee from South Korea, was the initial motivating and creative force behind Side by Side.

 

Friend: A Novel & Popular Culture of North Korea

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First published in Pyongyang in 1988, Friend by Paek Nam-Nyong is one of the few North Korean novels that has reached an international audience. Professor Immanuel Kim, the translator of Friend and a specialist in North Korean literature and cinema, offers a glimpse into contemporary life in North Korea through this novel and other popular culture from Pyongyang.

“a beguiling introduction to the everyday, with none of the rockets and military parades that the words “North Korea” often bring to mind” – The New York Times

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

To buy Friend, please visit: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/friend/9780231195614/

 

Friend: A Novel & Popular Culture of North Korea
with
Immanuel Kim

Thursday, July 9, 2020 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Immanuel Kim is Korea Foundation and Kim-Renaud Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at George Washington University. He is the author of Rewriting Revolution: Women, Sexuality, and Memory in North Korean Fiction (2018) and the translator of Friend by Paek Nam-Nyong.

 

 

New Narratives in Korea: Games & Interactive Storytelling with Dr. Bo hyun Kwon

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Copyright Credit: playSyria

In this new series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea.

In this first episode, we will be exploring the world of games, especially that of computer, video, and mobile games: the history of video game culture in Korea from the 70s until now; how it has given birth to a new industry and a group of new business leaders in Korea; and how it is developing into a new way of storytelling, entertainment, and education.

New Narratives in Korea: Games & Interactive Storytelling
with Dr. Boh Youn Kwon

PREMIERES: Friday. June 26, 2020

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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About the Speaker:

Dr. Boh Youn Kwon is the Managing Director of Playable Consulting in Seoul where she serves as Interactive Storytelling and Playful Experience Designer. She currently teaches Interactive Storytelling Design at Yonsei University.