A close-up of the Choi Jeong-hwa project under the Hayward Gallery

If it’s plastic baskets, it’s got to be a Choi Jeong-hwa installation. The outside of the Korean Pavilion at Venice, a chandelier in the centre of the Asia House staircase, or even a crazy space helmet for the band members (which included his son) playing at the first anniversary party of the opening of London’s KCC – all involve Choi’s trademark brightly coloured plastic baskets.

Choi Jeong-hwa's design for decorating the Korean Pavillion with red plastic crates at Venice Biennale 2005

As part of London’s Cultural Olympiad, for which the Korean participation is called All Eyes on Korea, the Korean artist Choi Jeong-hwa, whose projects have included the interior design of the KCC, has two projects on the go: 20,000 coloured balloons to be hung on the trees on the approach to Hungerford Bridge, the footbridge which joins Embankment Station (and hence the KCC) to the South Bank. There was no sign of these as yet when I went in search of them the other day.

Choi Jeong-hwa's chandelier at Asia House, London, 2006

The other project is one of his plastic basket installations. The initial plans were for a giant and rather menacing five-legged construction which looked like a space alien that, at 10 metres high, was very vulnerable to a gentle puff of wind. The revised plans seem to be more modest: cladding the rather ugly concrete pillars which hold up the Hayward Gallery with those same green baskets.

The original plan for Choi Jeong-hwa's Hayward Gallery project

They’re not going to blow away in a hurry, but they don’t look quite so dramatic as the original plan.

Work in Progress - Choi Jeong-hwa's part-finished project under the Hayward Gallery

The completed installation, entitled Time after Time, should be ready at the end of this month and will remain in place until 9 September, the Thames Festival weekend.

Yi Sang in Fedora (Billy Childish / Neugerriemschneider)

British artist Billy Childish exhibits portraits of two celebrated Korean authors (Yi Kwang-su and Yi Sang) in his Seoul show entitled Strange Bravery at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno, Seoul, till 3 June. http://bit.ly/JdjPZR

Yi Kwang-su (Billy Childish / Neugerriemschneider)

Fancy going on holiday with Miss A or 2PM? You had a one in 310 chance courtesy of the KTO, if you’d managed to spot the opportunity in time. Not bad odds. Surely would have been worth a try? http://bit.ly/JUKKO3

26 March 2012. The brief ferry ride from Tongyeong to Hansando traverses the sheltered sound where Admiral Yi Sun-shin won a famous victory over the Japanese navy on 14 August 1592. On the day I crossed, it was difficult to imagine the tumult of a battle in which 47 Japanese ships were sunk and 12 captured, with no Korean losses. Oyster farms now stretch across the quiet waters where injured Japanese sailors would have been struggling ashore.

The peaceful view across to Hansando from the ferry

The Battle of Hansando

Hansando was Yi’s 8th engagement with the Japanese fleet since the Japanese invasion earlier that year, and the biggest so far. Already 109 Japanese ships had been sent to the bottom since his first battle at Okpo two months earlier. All the other battles had gone Yi’s way, and the Japanese were keen to rid the seas of the tiresome admiral, particularly as their land forces, who had now advanced up the peninsula as far as Pyongyang, were increasingly dependent on the sea for their supplies.

Oyster farms on the approach to Hansando harbour, where injured Japanese sailors would have been struggling ashore

This was the first battle in which the Japanese, with 73 ships, outnumbered the Koreans, with 56, and the Japanese had something to prove. Yi had made his base at Yeosu, while the Japanese were based at Angolpo (안골포 [Map]). More or less midway between the two bases was the straight of Gyeonnaeryang (견내량), a narrow strip of water which separates Geoje Island from the mainland just north of Tongyeong. The Japanese stationed themselves there, but the location was unsuitable for the Koreans to engage. They preferred the more open spaces in front of Hansando. Yi’s approach was to try a little cunning – drawing close to the Japanese fleet with a handful of ships and then running away, encouraging the Japanese to pursue. The Japanese sailed straight into the Korean crescent-shaped “crane-wing” formation and were soon in trouble from the superior Korean fire power.

A map of the battle of Hansando, on display in Tongyeong harbour (with additional English annotations in red). The Japanese (in red) are crushed by the Korean crane-wing formation

The Korean ships, though heavier (and thus more able to carry the artillery which was their main weapon) were more manoeuvrable than the Japanese vessels which were built more for speed. The Korean hulls were flatter underneath (designed to sail in the shallows of the Jeolla tidal flats), allowing the ships to turn more quickly. The Korean tactics were aimed at disabling or sinking the enemy ships with their longer range firepower; the Japanese tactics were more primitive – relying on boarding the enemy ships and engaging the sailors and marines in combat. Provided the Koreans had enough ammunition, they were always going to win a battle, particularly if they had turtle ships, which were more or less immune to boarding. But with only around three turtle ships in the Korean fleet at the time, it was the panokseon which won the day ^[1].

A turtle-ship lighthouse and a beacon on the hill above guard the entrance to Hansando harbour

The Korean victory (which was followed by a mopping-up operation at Angolpo a couple of days later) assured that the Koreans had mastery of the seas, with Hideyoshi ordering an immediate halt to active naval operations.

Admiral Yi’s command centre on Hansando

The ferry ride from Tongyeong is a perfect way to get a sea-level view of the geography of the area. The only signs that a battle took place 420 years ago is the monument at the top of the nearest promontory on Hansando, and a little lighthouse sat on top of a turtle as you approach Hansando’s main harbour.

The red pines of Hansando

The ferry stops at the slipway, enabling cars to drive off, and the pedestrians follow. Turn right when you get off the ferry and follow the path around the cost to get to Hansando’s main historical attraction: the collection of buildings which Yi Sun-shin used as his command centre against the Japanese from 1593 to 1597 [Map]. The buildings were restored by Park Chung-hee in 1975 and 76, and seem to be a popular tourist attraction. The compound is a pleasant stroll along the shoreline.

The secluded path that leads to Admiral Yi's command centre

The red pine trees towered above, and the green water alongside the path was calm and clear. At the entrance to the compound a busload of pensioners were posing with their village banner for a photo to remember their team outing. Inside, all was peaceful. An elderly couple sat on the steps quietly sipping a celebratory soju together.

The Jeseungang hall, Admiral Yi's command centre on Hansando, with (right) the Suru lookout pavilion

The main building of the compound is the Jeseungdang Hall. Inside are various memorabilia: standing on the well-polished floor are a couple of canons such as once armed Admiral Yi’s fleet; on the wall are rather free artist’s impressions of some of his battles; there’s a small model of one of the famous turtle ships; and resting against the back wall is an 8-part folding screen on which Yi’s gifts from the Chinese emperor are depicted. The original gifts themselves are displayed in the Chungryeolsa shrine dedicated to Yi on the hillside above Tongyeong (see below).

Inside the Jeseungdang Hall

As its name – Making of Victory – indicates, all military affairs were handled here, including the drawing up of battle strategies and the production and distribution of arms.

An artist's reconstruction of the Battle of Hansando decorates the inside of the Jeseungdang Hall

Many of the poems and entries in Admiral Yi’s War Diary (Nanjung Ilgi 난중일기) were written while he was residing here.

The view over Hansando's natural harbour and back to the mainland from the Suru lookout pavilion

Overlooking the approach to the harbour, and with a view back to the mainland, is the Suru pavilion where Yi composed his famous Song of Hansando:

In the bright moonlight of Hansando Isle
I sit alone upon a lookout pavilion
Wearing a long sword at my side
Full of cares about the fatherland
I feel my heart torn to pieces
As I hear a shrill grass-flute from down below

The archery practice range at the Hansanjeong Pavilion

Continuing to the far side of the compound, behind the Jeseungdang Hall, is the Hansanjeong Pavilion. It was here that Admiral Yi established an entertaining archery practice ground for his troops. The soldiers had to shoot from the pavilion at some targets 145 metres away the other side of a small inlet. This is said to be the only archery range in Korea that spans over a stretch of water. In his war diary, Admiral Yi wrote many times about the archery competitions held here. The losing team would buy rice cakes and wine for the winners.

A small shrine to Yi Sun-shin in his command centre. The blue roof of the entrance gate is reflected in the glazing of the memorial portrait

A small shrine to the great admiral completes the ensemble of buildings. In fact, Admiral Yi is well-commemorated in Tongyeong. Apart from the shrine on Hansando, there is the Changnyangmyo (착량묘) shrine on the mainland overlooking the so-called Tongyeong Canal, which was built in 1599. Further up the hill there is the more significant shrine, the Chungryeolsa [Map]. Having had a pleasant morning in Hansando, that’s where we are headed next.

The Tongyeong Chungryeolsa (통영충렬사)

Yi Sun-shin died fighting, at the battle of Noryang, which was the last major sea battle of the Japanese invasion, on 18 November 1598. The combined fleets of Korea (83 ships) and China (63 ships) obliterated a Japanese fleet of 500 ships, only 50 of which managed to escape. Yi was cut down by a stray bullet at the height of the battle. It is said that his dying words were an instruction not to tell the rest of the Korean fleet about his death until the battle was over. His son and nephew, on the same ship as him, fought on.

The entrance to the Chungryeolsa

After his death he was given the title Chungmugong (충무공, roughly, Loyal Duke of Warfare) ^[2]. In 1606, King Seonjo commanded that a shrine be built for the great admiral, and commemorative ceremonies were held there every spring and autumn. In 1663, King Hyeongjong built the entrance gate and bestowed the name of “Chungryeolsa” on the shrine.

Inside the main memorial shrine (Jeongdang) of the Chungryeolsa

As time went on, a number of other structures were built in the same compound. Later in the 17th century a school, the Gyeongchungjae (경충재), was founded to teach young scholars the lessons from the life of the admiral. When the Daewongun issued a decree for the nationwide abolition of private schools in 1868 the only school to escape the axe was the Gyeongchungjae. Opposite the Gyeongchungjae is the Sungmudang, also built in 1695, designed as an administrative hall. All these buildings and ceremonies needed maintenance and funding, and so the shrine was granted land to earn revenues for its upkeep.

The Sungmudang administrative hall in the Chungryeolsa

It is not just Koreans who have honoured Yi Sun-shin over the centuries. Even the Japanese have too. It is said that when Admiral Togo defeated the Russian fleet in 1905, one of his company said:

“You can be regarded the equal of Admiral Nelson, who defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Trafalgar; you are indeed a god of war.” To this Admiral Togo replied “I appreciate your compliment. But,…if there ever were an Admiral worthy of the name of ‘god of war’, that one is Yi Sun-sin. Next to him, I am little more than a petty officer.” [Source]

And during the course of 1592-1598 Japanese invasions, the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had his eye on Yi. He was so impressed with the reports of Yi’s achievements that he sent him eight royal gifts (the Palsapum – 팔사품). These gifts, now Treasure No 440, are stored in an exhibition hall at the Chungryeolsa ^[3]:

Some of the eight royal gifts (palsapum) given by the Ming emperor to Yi Sun-shin

Swords and seals, banners and bugles form part of the imperial gift.

The Tongjeyeong (통제영) and the Sebyeonggwan (세병관)

After Yi’s death, it was perhaps natural that Tongyeong should become associated with Yi Sun-shin, and also that it should become a naval headquarters for the region, though it was not until 1604 that the admiralty of the Three Province Naval Force (the three provinces being Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong) made its home there in a compound known as the Tongjeyeong.

A view of the Tongjeyong from the road near the Chungryeolsa. The Sebyeonggwan is the largest building visible

The centrepiece of the headquarters was the Sebyeonggwan (National Treasure No 305), a majestic hall built in 1605 designed to accommodate members and visitors of the naval forces.

The Sebyeonggwan: a majestic 9 kan by 5 kan guest house

It is claimed to be the third biggest building constructed in the Joseon dynasty, after the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (National Treasure No 224) in Seoul’s Gyeongbok Palace and the Jinnamgwan guesthouse in Yeosu (National Treasure No 304), which was also used as accommodation for the navy. At least, that’s what it said on the notice board outside, but where that leaves the main part of the Jongmyo Shrine I’m not sure.

The Hansan Daecheop festival, held throughout Tongyeong every August (Photo: KTO)

Each August, the Hansan Daecheop Festival is held, four or five days which celebrate Yi Sun-shin’s victory at the battle of Hansando. The festival includes performances outside the Sebyeonggwan Guest House of a martial dance said originally to have been performed to raise the morale of soldiers during the Japanese invasion. August does not seem to be the best time to be dressing up in traditional costume and dancing, but Admiral Yi did not really have a choice about the date he fought the Japanese navy.

Yi Sun-shin in the Nammangsan Sculpture Park (남망산 조각공원)

There’s a little bit of time before we need to return to the hotel to freshen up before the evening concert. We have a quick scoot round the Tongyeong museum which is just outside the main entrance to the Sebyeonggwan. My companion is interested in some of the items of furniture – in particular a low lacquered table is just like one she remembers her grandmother having (and throwing out) – while my eye is caught by a couple of fighting kites.

The statue of Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin above the Tongyeong Citizens Art Centre and the Nammangsan Sculpture Park

We then take a quick look round the Nammangsan Sculpture Park which provides the setting for the Tongyeong Citizens Art Centre. Right at the top of the hill is a majestic bronze statue of Yi Sun-shin, which was erected in June 1953. Nearby is the Yeolmujeong archery field where the Hansan Military Service Examination used to be held twice a year during the Joseon dynasty. From his vantage point at the top of the hill, Yi Sun-shin can gaze out across the sea to Hansando, the site of his most famous victory.

Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin supervises a re-enactment of the Battle of Hansando (Photo: KTO)

And with that, it was time to get ready to go to the concert.

Links & sources:

• Yi Sun-shin pages at Koreanhero.net
• Pages for the Tongyeong area on the KTO website
• Tongyeong City website

1. See the previous article in this series for more on the panokseon.
2. The home of the Korean film industry, Chungmuro, is said to be named in his honour.
3. Confusingly, in the system of classifying state-designated heritage, the top category is “National Treasure”, while the next one down is simply a “Treasure”. There is a separate, city or provincial classification system. So the Palsapum is a state-designated Treasure. See http://english.cha.go.kr/ for more detail of the system.

It was the first decent day of the month. Although it had started grey and cold, the forecasters promised sun and heat, and they were spot on. Quite a good day then, after all the hard preparation by Hwang Jihae’s team, to be awarded a coveted Chelsea gold medal, for the second year runnning.

The Chelsea Gold Medal for Hwang Jihae at Muum

Was it my bias that made me think that many of the other show gardens looked like they were clones of each other, straight out of a Homes & Garden magazine? They were, of course, all immaculate, peaceful, colourful, well-designed, disciplined, organised, and manicured. If Germans did gardens, this is what they would come up with. Damn good ones. But very safe. Very corporate. Then there was Diarmuid Gavin’s extravaganza, a multi-storeyed ziggurat with a helter-skelter, pushing the boundaries of the latest trend in vertical gardening. But hardly a show garden, given that you couldn’t see most of the planting. And like the others, where was the soul, where was the meaning?

Jung Ji-eun performs on the Kayageum to celebrate the garden's opening (21 May. Photo courtesy of www.kaya-music.co.uk)

Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden had meaning a-plenty, particularly when you think of the ongoing provocations emerging daily from Pyongyang. A nuclear-armed hereditary dictatorship unable to feed its people is still at war with a vibrant democracy which is one of the world’s leading economic powers. Both have military forces including reserves of around 9 million ^[1]. A narrow strip of land, the De-Militarized Zone, separates the two halves of the peninsula. But while it keeps the armies apart, it also separates families and friends, and divides an entire nation.

The DMZ in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province (photo provided by Hwang Jihae)

This narrow strip of land, for the most part undisturbed for 60 years, has developed, unintentionally, into a wildlife sanctuary. Parts of it have even been turned into an eco-tourism destination. It is this landscape of nature run wild which, in part, inspired Hwang Jihae’s planting scheme for her DMZ garden.

Some of the wild, unstructured planting in the DMZ garden (22 May)

Those looking for perfect sight-lines and rigid structure in the DMZ garden would have been disappointed, for that is not the hallmark of a Korean garden. It is is nigh-on impossible to get a picture-perfect photo of the garden as a whole. Instead, among other things it is a garden of immaculate detail, through which you need to walk to appreciate to the full. Around two-thirds of the plants were actually imported from Korea, but right to the very end the perfectionist eye of designer Hwang Jihae was looking to source additional grasses and plants to complete the right effect.

A tangle of nature grows up among the rusted metal, teasing you by obscuring your sight-line (22 May)

Because of the density of planting, each step you take along the button-encrusted path gives you a different aspect. But as a glimpse of a view opens up in a new direction, another is closed off by tall grass, a tree stump or a rusted mess-tin.

A discarded pair of boots hangs from one of the supports of the watch-tower (22 May)

Apart from being a faithful re-creation of a landscape, the garden is a tribute to the sacrifice of the soldiers who fought to preserve the freedom of the South, and a lament over the ongoing division of the peninsula.

The DMZ watch-tower, the centrepiece of the garden (22 May)

The most obvious feature is the watch-tower, which itself has a multi-layered symbolism. Yes, a tower conventionally is an edifice of oppression (keeping people in) or defense (keeping people out). But the physical construction of this tower is based on Freedom Bridge, a landmark where war prisoners were exchanged after the 1953 armistice which halted the Korean War.

The memorial bench made out of military ID tags (22 May)

A memorial bench made of countless military dog-tags symbolises the countless lives that were lost in the conflict, while a pair of boots hanging from the watchtower, buttons from military uniforms, rusty helmets and spent bullets are obvious reminders that the DMZ was and is a war zone.

An ammunition box and rotting trees beside a brook (22 May)

But while there are the scars of war everywhere, the abundance of nature gives hope; while the barbed wire fence severs a rusty railway, a small brook flows freely through the wire. And on the wires themselves, which creepers and climbing plants are using as supports, hang tins and bottles containing letters from separated families and friends to their loved ones on the other side of the artificial border.

A message to a loved one on the other side of the barrier (22 May)

This is a garden which needs to be contemplated slowly, possibly in the evening when there are fewer crowds: when you can appreciate the details without being jostled, when perhaps you can hear the wind in the trees and in the grass, and when you can appreciate the beauty of the unspoilt nature while quietly shedding a tear for what the DMZ represents.

A Chelsea Pensioner gets a kayageum lesson, while in the background a couple more inspect the DMZ watch-tower (21 May. Photo provided by www.kaya-music.co.uk)

Links:

• LKL’s complete coverage of Hwang Jihae’s gardens at Chelsea 2012 and 2011
• www.kaya-music.co.uk, website of Jung Ji-eun (kayageum) and Jeon Sung-min (guitar)
• Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden on Facebook. Please donate using the Paypal sign.

1. According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_military_and_paramilitary_personnel, accessed 22 May 2012).

Hwang Jihae and her DMZ Forbidden Garden on Saturday (photo: Linda Grove)

Yes, it’s another gold medal. More coverage soon once I’ve had a chance to see the finished garden myself.

Links:

• LKL’s complete coverage of Hwang Jihae’s gardens at Chelsea 2012 and 2011
• Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden on Facebook. Please donate using the Paypal sign.

43 Inverness Street has begun a collaboration with the Artist in Residency programme at Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland in selecting artists from Korea. This is the first year that the programme has chosen an artist from Korea, Kook Dongwan, and 43 Inverness will continue to help the programme in introducing Korean artists.

Yoon Yeo-jeong in The Taste of Money

The Korea Herald *really* doesn’t like Im Sang-soo’s Taste of Money, currently in competition at Cannes. Hong Sang-soo’s In Another Country with Isabelle Hubert fares better. Full story: http://bit.ly/JskHji

Today is the first of two judgement days at the Chelsea Flower Show. Nothing more can be done apart from wait for the results, and pay a visit when it’s open to the public next week (if you managed to get a ticket).

For those who can’t come along, here are some photos of the almost-finished garden, taken yesterday (Saturday 19 May) by Linda Grove. The full set is on her Flickr account.

1: A rare glimpse of blue sky. That memorial bench still needs a bit of work though. This was taken at the start of the last day before judging.

2: A pathway of buttons from military uniforms, and threatening-looking bits of rusted metal, pushes through the undergrowth at the foot of the watch-tower.

3: Some of the details will never be seen by visitors. Here is a discarded drinks can and string, up inside the crow’s nest of the watch-tower.

4: The garden is as much an art installation as it is an amazing horticultural achievement. Here a rusty mess-tin hangs from a shrub.

5: Message in a bottle: the barbed wire fence is decorated by bottles and tins containing letters from families and friends separated by the war.

6: All over now – apart from that very labour-intensive bench.

7: And a reminder of how far things have come in little more than two weeks. Here’s the building site on the first day of construction – though it looks like Diarmuid Gavin’s Westland Magical Garden (in the background) has had a head-start (image provided by Hwang Jihae).

Don’t forget to watch coverage of the show on the BBC, all next week. I’m sure you’ll get more than a glimpse of the DMZ Garden.

Fingers crossed for Judgement Day!

Links:

• LKL’s complete coverage of Hwang Jihae’s gardens at Chelsea 2012 and 2011
• Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden on Facebook. Please donate using the Paypal sign.

Some adjustments to the undergrowth beside the stream

With the Chelsea Flower Show having its first judging day tomorrow (Sunday), all the show gardens have to be finished today. Yesterday Hwang Jihae’s team was boosted by some additional volunteers to help finish off the last details.

Hwang Jihae supervises some last-minute planting

The professionals did some final planting, filling in one or two gaps under the demanding and perfectionist eye of Ms Hwang.

Some of the volunteers helping with the memorial bench

And the less skilled… they were roped in to creating the memorial bench, fixing military ID tags to a sheet of steel with a honeycomb of holes. First a small chain had to be threaded through the dog tag, then poked through the hole in the metal sheet, and finally fixed in place with a plastic tag.

Mr and Mrs LKL lend a hand

Visitors will be invited to sit on the bench and have a quiet moment of reflection. Ms Hwang’s plan is to set the bench at a slight angle, hoping the dog tags will catch the breeze and make a calming sound.

Despite the hectic activity, there's still time for a joke

The garden looks like it has been there for ever, which is a real achievement. And one passer-by said: “It’s the best garden by a country mile”.

Let’s hope the judges agree.

Spent cartridges will provide some of the detail in the garden

Links:

• LKL’s complete coverage of Hwang Jihae’s gardens at Chelsea 2012 and 2011
• Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden on Facebook. Please donate using the Paypal sign.

Sungjoo Kim, CEO and chairperson of luxury fashion brand MCM Holdings AG has been given the Chairman’s Award, most prestigious award, at the RBS-sponsored Asian women of achievement awards celebrating the contribution of Asian women across British business for “overcoming widespread prejudice and family opposition to become one of her country’s most highly respected entrepreneurs”.

The current exhibition at Mokspace, which runs till 28 May, is an interesting take on Korean folk painting, blending contemporary techniques and technology with traditional materials.

Shinwook Kim’s theme is Photographic Images of Fish and Shellfish in Korean Classical Painting. He aims to recreate the traditional folk-painting genre of Eo Hae Do (어해도, 魚蟹圖) which are paintings of fish and shellfish.

“Traditional fish paintings involve many symbolic meanings.” says Kim. “For example, a fish jumping up towards a waterfall is interpreted as abundance and worldly success after overcoming difficulties.”

“The paintings used to be in newly-married couples’ rooms because two fish swimming idyllically symbolise conjugal harmony,” he continues. “Fish also represent fecundity as they produce many spawn. In the past, young children and infants died easily for various reasons including illness so people used to wish for their offspring’s health with fish. People also used to believe that potbellied fish with huge eyes would protect them from thieves at night with their big open eyes, so pictures of them used to be hung on their built-in closets.”

Kim’s first project was to shoot studies of individual freshwater fish.

Shinwook Kim: Daenongaengye (Ussurian Bullhead), 40x80cm, c print, 2006

The second project, which is the main subject of the exhibition at Mokspace, is to capture photographs of fish in motion; then create a composition in image editing software. This is the part of the creative process which uses modern technology. Then Kim steps back in time, printing the image on traditional Korean paper made out of the same tree whose sap is used in lacquer work. The paper is called 옻지.

The exhibition captures a wide range of fish and shellfish / crustaceans, including a rare fish well-known to Korean film buffs: the Shiri. And much of the work is highly affordable.

Kim’s third project of freshwater fish is ‘Fishing’ (2010), a 7 min 10 sec single channel video, which is on display in the basement of the Mokspace exhibition. Kim explains the evolution of the project thus:

As I overcame my physical weakness with the action of finding, checking, and shooting freshwater fish, I reorganised fish and shellfish which is one of folk paintings that has been providing a feeling of safety with various meanings and hopes to Koreans for a long time. Through the work, I added my personal wish on the original and worldly meaning of painting of fish and shellfish in photography, Eo Hae Do.

‘Fishing’ is a video clip focusing on catching freshwater fish itself. The activity of releasing fish after discovering, collecting, and shooting them shows how I overcome my weakness. Catching fish represents a defensive behaviour and symbolic meaning of possession to fulfill my soft spot. I only used nets instead of a fish hook because things I could obtain would be damaged if fish got hurt. I dream of common benefit with fishes through release of them after catching them as careful as possible.

Here’s the official exhibition announcement from Mokspace:

Shinwook Kim : Korean Folk Painting in Photography

Mokspace is delighted to present the first exhibition of the work of Korean photographer, Shinwook Kim. He is currently studying BA Art & Practice at Goldsmiths College in London. His photographic motifs come from Korean traditional fish paintings of the 17th-19th century. In making this series, he re-visualizes the beautiful stories and dreams which are embodied in traditional Korean folk art.

Exhibition Dates : 11 May – 28 May 2012 / Opening Hours : 11am – 6pm, Every day

Mokspace is at 33 Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LH, in front of the British Museum
+44 (0) 20 7637 8880 | info@mokspace.com | www.mokspace.com/

Kim Dong-yoo and his portrait of the Queen (Source - Chosun Ilbo)

Kim Dong-yoo’s pop art portrait of the Queen, made up of 1,106 tiny pictures of Lady Di, will be included in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition “The Queen: Art & Image” (17 May – 21 Oct) celebrating her Golden Jubilee, says the Chosun Ilbo. The work was displayed at the Korean Eye: Fantastic Ordinary exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in 2010.

A close-up of Kim Dong-yoo's portrait of the Queen

By Kuo Chun Hsuan

A view of the inside of Forman's salmon smokehouse itself, from the gallery

Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery in Hackney Wick presents Place Not Found: Korean Art Now until 3 June. The location inspired curator Eunjung Shin to put it together. It’s the closest art gallery overlooking Olympic Park. Like many of the artists, I had never been to this area before.

‘The gallery space inspired me. It is located on the top floor of Britain’s oldest salmon smokehouse which was forced to relocate to its new premises by the Olympic development.’

‘The identity of Hackney Wick Art scene is changing. Many of Korean artists in Place Not Found have never been to Hackney Wick. I think the rapid change of Hackney Wick is very interesting. Especially 2012, this year. Ongoing development creates many places not found all over Hackney Wick.’

Eunjung Shin, Curator

Luna Jungeun Lee: Untitled (series from the Transitional Period), 2012, acrylic and screen print on perspex. Site-specific installation at Forman's Smokehouse Gallery, 166 x 166cm

On spiritual meaning, the concept of place not found is essentially a quest of searching identities. Artists were caught in a “place not found” for their heritage and new culture to adapt to.

‘Korean artists came to London for study and were influenced by their cultural surroundings in London. Now the exhibited artworks in Place Not Found are the result, showing how they were influenced by British culture and how they react. They also represent Korean culture and show how they tried to keep distance from their own culture.’

Eunjung Shin

After viewing at the opening party, now it’s time to share about some of the exhibits that had caught my attention. Although I do not have a Korean background, over the years of Korean studying has let me learned more about Korean culture. On top of that I am also a foreign artist myself to London and it helps me relate to these art works.

Beomsik Won, Archisculpture 008, 2012, photo print on paper, 180 x120 cm

Artist Beomsik Won’s work brought me a familiar yet strange feeling, a combination of bizarre emotions. In a way, it fits the description about contradictions we experience when putting ourselves in a different environment. Just like the photography work, although there are some parts you recognize from bits of the city yet altogether it is still strange scenery to you.

Chinwook Kim: Inside and outside - The abducted moon, 2012. Mixed media, 122 x 195 x 8cm

For artist Chinwook Kim’s work, I was simple fascinated by the materials and combination he closed to work with. As an illustrator myself, it is simply enjoyable to look and examine another piece of illustration work. Artist let the color and lines run freely across the canvas and separate the fame with distinctive mediums.

Jukhee Kwon, /fromthebooktothespace/ in the bird cage, 2012. Bird cage, cutting book, 40 x 24 x 24cm

Artist Jukhee Kwon’s bring you to re-examine the beauty of simplicity. Something that may not occur to you could be seemed as a work of art.

Sejin Moon: Untitled #1 #3 #4 #5, Neutral Territory, 2012. Digital pigment print, 125 x 100cm

Artist Sejin Moon’s series of photography reposed to what I have known about Korean tradition culture of adequate behaviors. They show the struggling when someone doesn’t not want to just follow what were expected from them from the society.

Jiho Won: Union Jack, 2012. Wood, cable ties, scaffolding net, 140 x 250 x 70cm

Artist Jiho Won’s work interests me a lot. At some point, a flag is no doubt a symbol of union yet it also separates everyone else that does not fit into the description. This has given me a new perspective about national flags.

Overall it has been a wonderful experience to be introduced to Korean modern art. And if we truly wish London to actually become a multicultural city by taking actions, we need more of such opportunities to exchange opinions and make difference. Therefore I am very much looking forward to see another exhibition on east asia modern art.

Place not Found: Korean Art Now is at Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery, Stour Road, Fish Island, Hackney Wick, E3 2NT

Some great pics of some young monks getting their head shaved for the first time this Buddha’s birthday at Jogye Temple, Seoul, in today’s Metro. Some of them don’t like it!

A South Korean boy gets his head shaved by a Buddhist monk during a "Children Becoming Buddhist monks" ceremony at Jogye temple in Seoul. "I don't want to be a drunk or a gambler!" Photo: Metro

Links:

• Children become Buddhist monks as tears flow during ceremony, Metro, 13 May 2012
• Buddhist monks caught gambling, smoking and drinking at party, Telegraph, 11 May 2012
• New Claim in Gambling Monks Scandal, Wall Street Journal Korea Realtime blog, 15 May 2012

The state visit of the Danish Crown Prince Frederik produces constructive results: the world’s tallest LEGO tower, at 31.9 metres, celebrating LEGO’s 80th birthday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Full story and photos:

• A tower of fun: World’s tallest Lego structure unveiled in South Korea to mark toy’s 80th birthday, Daily Mail, 13 May 2012

LKL gets an exclusive look at the construction of the DMZ “Quiet Time” garden, by Korean designer Hwang Jihae, at the Chelsea Flower Show.

A scene of wild, undisturbed nature in the DMZ. Photo provided by Hwang Jihae's team

With the increased tension on the Korean peninsula the narrow strip of demilitarized land which separates north and south is ever more in focus. The timing of Hwang Jihae’s appearance at Chelsea with her DMZ “Quiet Time” garden is serendipitous. And given the gold medal she won last year for her Haewooso garden, expectations for her 2012 show garden are high.

The team starts construction on day 1 at Chelsea (4 May). The plot is an empty building site

What has been less fortunate is the UK’s weather, which has been abysmal for gardeners this spring, and many exhibitors at Chelsea are despairing as their plants look like they are not going to be flowering in time. And although the DMZ garden relies more on greenery than blossoms nevertheless the designer is finding it difficult to source planting which will inject a bit of colour.

Hwang Jihae in front of the DMZ watch-tower at Chelsea (10 May). Trees and a barbed wire fence are in place. A stream will flow where at the moment there is just black plastic sheeting.

The first week of construction at Chelsea has been horrible – wet and cold. But despite this the team has managed to construct the centrepiece of their garden: a DMZ military watch-tower. The unusual garden has been getting a lot of attention from fellow garden-constructors at Chelsea. After all, a garden with rusty bits of metal (intended to look like discarded military hardware), broken railway tracks and a barbed-wire fence is not your average Chelsea Show Garden fare.

Photographs of the landscape that the DMZ Quiet Time garden is trying to recreate. The construction of the watchtower is based on the girders of Freedom Bridge

So Hwang Jihae’s team have put up a notice board containing photographs of the DMZ to give an idea of the landscape they are trying to recreate – nature which has been left wild and undisturbed for 60 years, in the midst of which are relics of a war which, as the North continually reminds us, is still unfinished.

A close-up of the bunker shows the immense attention to detail: weathered stones, ferns, weeds, and a rotten tree-trunk all look as if they have been there for decades rather than just a couple of days

Creating, in the space of little more than two weeks, a garden which looks as if it has been in place, untouched and almost forgotten for 60 years is an immense challenge, and requires a massive attention to detail. Hwang has been searching English woodlands for rotten tree-stumps which look just right; the Dartmoor stone from which her team is building a bunker has to have just the right amount of moss – and she has bags of the stuff to apply as necessary.

A Korean Berberis - not easy to get through customs. The wooden legs of the watch-tower are visible top right

While some of the plants, and the more structural elements of the garden, are sourced in the UK, around 60% of the planting has actually been imported from Korea – quite a task in itself, particularly getting the plants through customs.

Hwang Jihae with a rare Korean woodland plant, waiting to find a home in her DMZ garden

But the project is about more than the technical challenges of making a peaceful space that looks as if it has been there for decades rather than just days. It is about the symbolism of a divided nation, and about the sacrifices of the soldiers who defended the liberty of the South.

The shed currently used as the team's command centre will be replaced by a memorial bench made with the military ID tags of war veterans. In the foreground, the railway track severed by the DMZ

The barbed wire fence which divides the garden and encircles the watchtower cuts across a disused railway track: where once there was regular communication and commerce, now there is division and separation. But beside the rusty rails will be a small stream, symbolising the fact that nature knows no boundaries, and that the water can flow freely through artificial barriers. And where the centre of operations currently is (their little shed at the corner of the plot), there will be a memorial chair made out of military ID tags of war veterans. As a finishing touch, hanging from the barbed wire fence will be cans containing letters from soldiers and divided families.

Some of the plants waiting to find a home in the DMZ garden

With a week to go before the garden is judged, and then opened to the public, there’s still a herculean task to complete. Much of the garden was still just mud when I visited on Thursday 10 May, with a huge amount of planting still to do. But even seeing the garden in its unfinished state was an incredibly emotional experience. I can’t wait to see it finished.

Links:

• LKL’s complete coverage of Hwang Jihae’s gardens at Chelsea 2012 and 2011
• Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden on Facebook. Please donate using the Paypal sign.
• Chelsea Flower Show – DMZ Garden page

A very alternative Korean cultural event is coming up at the end of this month, probably not the sort of event that would be advertised on the KCC website. The subversive political talk-show, I’m a Petty-Minded Creep (Naneun Ggomsuda, 나는 꼼수다, or Na Ggom Su for short) is coming to the UK for a couple of gigs. Their performance is at King’s College London on Saturday afternoon, 26 May, 2:30 – 5:30, and they will give a similar show in Oxford on 27 May, 2:30 at the Catholic Chaplaincy. There’s also a talk between Na Ggom Su and Human Rights Watch in Oxford on 25 May at 3pm. The shows will all be conducted in Korean apart from the Human Rights Watch event.

Press release below:

World’s Most Popular Political Podcast comes to United Kingdom

With an estimated audience of over 11 million, the honour of ‘world’s most popular political podcast’ belongs to 4 middle-aged men from South Korea who are outspoken critics of President Lee Myung-bak.

The Korean podcast, entitled “Naneun Ggomsuda,” (나는 꼼수다) or “I Am a Petty-Minded Creep” has quickly amassed a cult following in the young democracy since its first broadcast just one year ago. Since the 90s South Korea has often been seen as a model for democracy in Asia. However fans of the podcast say that mainstream Korean news media has become too easily influenced under the Lee administration. They see the podcast as a welcome and comical alternative.

The podcast came to further international prominence in December last year when one of its 4 presenters, former MP Chung Bong-ju (51) was convicted of spreading false rumors linking Lee to allegations of stock fraud. Chung, who stands by the rumours, is serving a 1-year jail term while the show continues to grow in popularity in spite of his absence.

“The podcast has me in stitches every week” says Lee Byung-gon a PHD student living in London “It’s great that these guys have the guts to criticize South Korea’s government and expose corruption despite the threat of imprisonment like what happened to Chung.”

“Their live UK broadcasts will attract British Koreans and Korean students in the hundreds. It is especially significant because the UK is the home of a number of democratic firsts such as the petition and the concept of the modern political party.”

In May last year, Frank La Rue, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, said during election campaigns in South Korea, “it is very difficult to distinguish expression that is permitted from that which is prohibited.”

“Naneun Ggomsuda” will perform at London’s King’s College on 26 May and at the University of Oxford on 27 May.

Lucy Williamson reports for the BBC:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links:

• Political disaffection finds satire in South Korea, Lucy Williamson, BBC, 13 March 2012
• A Leading Critic of South Korea’s President Is Jailed, Choe Sang-hoon, New York Times, 26 December 2011.
• Book Tickets here (Korean website)

When a record company launches a new young star, there’s always a slight suspicion that content is taking second place to style and presentation. But with Korean pianist HJ Lim EMI Classics are unapologetic, and with every justification.

HJ (Hyun-jung) Lim has come to fame not via the conventional international music competition circuit: EMI’s PR handouts say that she came to the public’s attention via YouTube. But at her official launch event at Abbey Road Studios last week, Andrew Cornall, the EMI’s head of A&R, focused on not on her YouTube videos but on her live performance in Lisbon which he attended at the invitation of her agent Harrison Parrott. He was so impressed that he wanted to sign her on the spot.

They proposed as a first recording the repertoire that she was playing at that sparkling recital: Scriabin and Ravel. They received an unexpected reply: she would only sign if her first recording could be the complete Beethoven Sonatas.

HJ Lim in action (image source below)

For a 24-year-old to record to complete Beethoven is precocious. John Suchet, the well-known newsreader who seems to be something of a goodwill ambassador for EMI Classics, interviewed Lim after her performance of Beethoven’s Op 109 sonata at Abbey Road, in front of an audience of music industry people (and a solitary K-blogger). The audience were surprised at the passionate but intellectual responses from Lim, in fluent, French-accented English. Lim has been immersing herself in a deep study of Beethoven – she said she has almost been “living with him” for many years – and she felt a compulsion to record the complete set. She talked about Beethoven as the first psychoanalyst, and claimed that each sonata told us something new and different about Beethoven the man. She also reminded us that Beethoven was 25 when he composed his first three sonatas (Op 2) – so there should be no barrier to someone in her mid-20s (Lim is currently 24) tackling the works.

She also spoke on the subject of Beethoven’s metronome markings – quoting a remark Beethoven made when musicians complained about the seemingly impossible speed required of them in the final movement of his first symphony. She herself therefore takes his metronome markings seriously. The opening bars of the Hammerklavier take on an extra danger when played at the specified tempo.

Her deep respect for Beethoven shone through in her animated conversation. And this respect extends to her excluding from her “complete” cycle two sonatas (Op 49) which she says Beethoven didn’t want to be received as part of the canon. So her complete cycle is of 30 rather than the usual 32 sonatas. Another unusual feature of her recording is that she groups the sonatas not chronologically but by theme, such as Heroic Ideals and The Eternal Feminine Youth, reflecting her psychoanalytical approach.

In terms of results, the speed at which she took some of the faster variations in last movement of Op 109 was furious. It certainly made the work demanding both to play and to listen to, but Lim led us on a path through the dark, dense forest of notes. Late Beethoven doesn’t always make for easy listening and it doesn’t hurt us to be challenged once in a while. Comparing her performance to my recording by Wilhelm Kempff, recorded in 1964 when he was in his late 60s, Kempff has a much more straightforward reading, where the structure of the piece is much clearer and simpler, while Lim generates excitement and conflict. Ars est celare artem is the approach followed by Kempff, while Lim almost seems to seek out challenges and conflict to resolve.

Meanwhile, in her performance of two Scriabin miniatures and Ravel’s La Valse it is easy to see what grabbed EMI’s A&R chief in that recital in Lisbon. She was completely at home in the exotic scented atmosphere of Scriabin, while sparks and passion flew in her performance of the Ravel.

Both in her conversation and in her playing, HJ Lim comes across as a force of nature. Definitely a pianist to watch, with great technique, passion and intellectual insight to match.

HJ Lim’s London solo debut is at the Wigmore Hall on 20 July 2012. I just booked my tickets in the front row.

Links:

• Some of HJ Lim’s live performances on YouTube
• HJ Lim’s official website
• Buy HJ Lim’s complete set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas on Amazon.co.uk

Image source: http://www.thebluegrassspecial.com/archive/2012/march2012/beethoven-hj-lim.html

Thanks to Paul Wadey at the KCC for the tip-off about the Abbey Road launch event, which was held in the very studio that the Beatles recorded some of their most famous albums.

Kim Jong Un tours Mangyongdae Funfair (Photo: KCNA)

The management of the Mangyongdae funfair got a very public roasting from Kim Jong Un during an on-the-spot guidance visit. The Great Successor even did a spot of weeding to show them how bad things looked. Who would want to be in their shoes? Full story on the KCNA website. Natty hat, by the way.