Press Release May 2016     KCC Exhibit to highlight Korean Martial Arts Taekwondo    The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) will open the Taekwondo Exhibition on June 9, 2016. “Soul of Korea: Taekwondo” will feature the history and development of the Korean martial art, as well as different techniques and principles of Taekwondo. It will also highlight the events and international activities, which led to the globalization of Taekwondo. The exhibit aims to enhance the status of Taekwondo in the Philippines and share the spirit of the Taekwondo to the Filipinos. Taekwondo, traditional bare-hand martial arts originated from Korea. It was created from the ideology of national defense and eventually became a type of sport that is currently enjoyed by a lot of people across the world.  Jointly organized by Taekwondowon Park in Korea and the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA), the exhibit will display Taekwondo-related materials and technologies such as electronic protectors, sandbag kicks and various types of uniforms. An Experience Zone and Photo Zone will also be available for the guests to try the sport. A symposium about the Korean martial art will be held on June 9, 2016 followed by the opening ceremony of the exhibit. PTA will also have Taekwondo high-skills demonstrations for the guests and visitors to witness. KCC Director OH Choong Suk said, "I hope that through this exhibit more Filipinos will express their interest in learning Taekwondo.” Grand Master HONG Sung-Chon, chairman of PTA expressed his utmost appreciation to KCC for opening the Taekwondo Exhibit, “It is the first Taekwondo Exhibit in the Philippines and I hope that this exhibit will help more Filipinos to understand and be interested with Taekwondo,” said HONG. The exhibit runs from June 9 to August 19 at Korean Cultural Center Exhibition Hall. Admission is Free.   For further information and queries, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or email curator@koreanculture.ph. You can also visit http://koreanculture.ph for more information.  

Blue Shirts Collectors and lovers of glass art and glass sculptures are in for a special treat as Reflections Gallery at Museo Orlina in Tagaytay in collaboration with 1st. Ikon Gallery of Busan, Korea present the unique glass sculptures of a remarkable young sculptor DongHoon, Kwak in a solo exhibition called “Blue Shirts” that opens on April 2, 2016 at 3:00 pm. The title of the show becomes obvious when one views the relief style, glass blocks of Kwak cast in various hues of blue which on closer inspection reveal to be men’s collared & long sleeved shirts folded in different ways with interesting and complex creases of the fabric which could easily represent blue jeans or ribbed corduroy. The artist studied the art of casting glass when he graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the School of Glass sculpture in Namseoul University, Korea. He has been actively participating in international art fairs in the recent years, most recently at the Art Stage Singapore in Marina Bay Sands. In 2011 he was awarded a Special Prize in the 1st Korea Young Artists Grand Prize Festival. Kwak makes an interesting statement about the wrinkles and creases of his Blue Shirts in glass, “that wrinkles not only show the traces of aging but also the passing of time itself.” He quotes Philosopher Leibniz who was a German polymath and philosopher who recognized the theory that the elementary particle that composes the world is a wrinkle not a dot. Further, based on this theory Gilles Delueze, a French philosopher explained that wrinkles can de divided into “wrinkles of materials” and “wrinkles of spirits” and that the two are connected to each other. Kwak often ponders upon this as he works on his art that perhaps the wrinkles he creates so arduously on his Blue Shirts is a flow of his own spirituality onto his art. Also in store for guests to this event is an afternoon of delightful music by South Korean performers from the Korean Cultural Center: Gayageum artist Ms. Min-Ji Jung. Miss Jung has majored in Gayageum and she is an Art Specialist at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines. And Miss Kim is a pianist and music instructor at the Korea International School. A special guest at this concert is well-known Baritone Mr. Byeong-in Park. They will show you the beauty of Korean sound by playing the traditional instrument Gayageum with piano. The exhibition runs till May 17, 2016. For more inquiries please contact Museo Orlina at Tel # (046) 4132581 (Tagaytay) (02)781-5918/ 7496439 (Manila office) CP# +63 9064340862 (Haidee), +63 9186424562 (Mhalou). Prepared by: Reflections Gallery @ Museo Orlina March 10, 2016 For more information(Korean) 1st.iKON gallery, Nongshim Hotel 1F, Dongraegu, Busan Tel +82 51 558 1237 Email kim@1stikon.com

Press Release 13 February 2016     KCC to feature Korean artists at “The Beautiful Journey in the World” art exhibit   The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) will open its art exhibition “The Beautiful Journey in the World,” on March 3.  The exhibit features the artworks of 19 Korean artists who are currently residing here in the Philippines.  It showcases the artists’ perception of the world based on their experiences and adventures while living abroad.   Through the artists’ representation of Korean culture that mirrors what we see on our daily lives, we will recognize the beauty of the world in the unexplored sceneries. The exhibit will display 42 pieces of art work by artists from the two nations that bring out the profound blend of eastern and western arts.   Carla Kim, one of the Korean participating artists, explains that the exhibit is an honest and affable exhibition composed of easily represented visualizations with simple meanings.   Prior the launching of the exhibit, KCC will host the “Artist Talk” on March 3, a special section where the artists will gather and deliver their respective pieces on art.  Guests are invited to interact with the participating artists.   Filipino artists Jacqueline Hess, Connie Quirino and Yueh Faye Lai will also take part in the display as guest exhibitors.   The exhibit runs from March 3 to May 27 at Korean Cultural Center Exhibition Hall. Admission is Free.     For further information and queries, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or emailcurator@koreanculture.ph. You can also visit http://koreanculture.ph for more information.

    Six Korean artists to open mid-year KCC exhibit                       The Korean Cultural Center will be inaugurating “Old & New” on June 26, featuring six Korean artists active in the art scene both in Korea and abroad. The exhibit will feature a broad range of art media, including installation art, painting, illustration and photography depicting different interpretations on the recurring theme of the polarity of time: the past and the present, the old and the new, yesterday and today.                   Participating are O-Shin KWON, O-Yeol KWON, Yoo-Rim SONG, Jung-Mi YOON, Jung-Eun LEE and Joo-Un LEE.                     Amidst the dizzyingly fast-paced technological development, a plethora of information presented to the viewer, and an intense day-to-day structure, what meaning would “taking from the past to know of the future” give to us modern minds? Through the artists’ interpretation of the abandoned, lost, and transformed, the audience will be able to gain the invaluable experience of looking back on the past in reevaluating the present.                    Additionally, the opening will also highlight a reproduction of the silkscreen printing by artists Joo Eun LEE and O-Shin KWON, which will provide an interesting and unique experience aligned with the theme “OLD & NEW.” The artists will personally demonstrate the technique of silkscreen, a system used for printing between the 60s and 70s prior to digital printing.                    The exhibit runs from June 26 to September 25. Admission is free.       For further information and queries, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or email curator@koreanculture.ph. You can also visit http://koreanculture.ph for more information.