Latest news with #GrandView
Korea Herald
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
You just have to take my word for it: Harold Ancart on the blues of his nighttime paintings
"Harold Ancart: Good Night" at Amorepacific Museum of Art marks Gagosian's second presentation in Seoul Belgian artist Harold Ancart perceives things differently when night falls. Under moonlight, starlight or a streetlight, things start to take on a new appearance. 'I always wanted to do an exhibition around the nighttime. (At night), things start shape-shifting or metamorphose,' the artist said Thursday at the press opening of his 'Good Night' exhibition at APMA Cabinet, a project space at the Amorepacific Museum of Art. The museum itself is inside the headquarters of cosmetic giant Amorepacific in Seoul. 'I am not so much interested in subjects themselves. Painting is interesting when it goes beyond the subjects — when it transcends the subject,' he said. The painting 'Field and Dawn' shows a tree under the dark blue sky, surrounded by several smaller trees against an indistinct horizon that glows orange and white. Many of his paintings of nocturnal scenes feature blue, which the artist said is his favorite color. 'When it is nighttime, you can use a lot of blue,' Ancart said, standing in front of his newly completed painting 'Grand View.' The work, a scene of a beach at night, renders the sea in deep, dark blue hues which splits along the horizon into a nebulous blue sky. In 'Good Night,' the artist juxtaposes the pink blossoms of a tree that stands outside a house. Looking through the house's windows, we see fragments of landscape paintings that are assumed to be the artist's. Dark blue splotches of oil paint interrupt the surface of the scene, as though the artist were attempting to blur the boundary between figuration and abstraction. 'Maybe it is not the way the night would truly be blue in reality, but as a painter I don't really care about reality. If I wanted to paint the night red, I could very much paint the night red as long as I tell you 'it is the night.' You just have to take my word for it,' the artist said. The exhibition opened Thursday and is the second shown by Gagosian, a leading international gallery, which does not have a permanent space in Seoul. 'When we say 'good night,' in general, it is an expression to wish good wishes before going to bed. But for the title of the exhibition, one can literally take the words 'good night' or in a more poetic way,' said Gagosian Seoul Director Lee Ji-young, who added the space was chosen to give viewers an intimate experience. The exhibition runs through May 16 and is closed on Mondays.
New York Times
04-04-2025
- New York Times
As Unexplained Quakes Ease, Tourist Island Insists It's Reopen for Business
Weeks after being rattled by thousands of mostly small-scale earthquakes, the island of Santorini, the jewel in the crown of Greece's tourism sector, is determined to return to business as usual — even as the quake phenomenon remain a mystery. The tourism-dependent island, which had been enjoying a strong comeback after the coronavirus pandemic, is counting on it. The first two cruise ships of the season arrived on the last two Sundays of March, and more than 40 are due this month, kicking off a year in which the union of cruise ship owners has predicted a 10 percent increase in cruise visitors over last year. But hoteliers are still expecting a slower year, with bookings down about 30 percent compared with 2024. 'Things have woken up over the past couple of weeks,' said Alexis Yannoulatos, who runs the Blue Dolphins hotel and the Grand View on Santorini's caldera, the rim of an ancient volcano that gave the island its unique shape, multicolored beaches and rock formations. But he said that April was likely to be a 'miserable' month for tourism revenues. Mr. Yannoulatos, who hosted visitors from South Korea at the height of the quake crisis in mid-February, said that occupancy at his hotels was 30 percent for April, with reservations for May and the summer months expected to rise to about 50 percent. Maria Manousoudaki, who owns the cliff-side Alti Suites in the island's southwest, said that bookings were 'coming in dribs and drabs' for the next couple of months, but that she would be opening half full this week, with visitors from Britain, France and Israel and the United States. The island, which has a population of 15,500 and typically hosts more than three million visitors annually, had previously worried about over-tourism, and even this week, the authorities launching Santorini's tourism campaign insisted on the importance of 'sustainable' tourism. As of June 1, cruise ship visitors must pay a charge of 20 euros, about $21.50, a measure approved last year to reduce the strain of excessive crowds on the island. But a few weeks ago, thousands of earthquakes rattled the island, sometimes every few minutes, sending most residents fleeing. The authorities closed schools and deployed emergency services to the region, and experts scrambled to interpret the tremors, which peaked with a 5.3-magnitude temblor on Feb. 10. As the quakes eased in late February and early March, residents returned, schools reopened and hoteliers resumed renovations in preparation for Easter and summer visitors. Now, most tremors are less than magnitude 3, basically imperceptible, and life on the island is returning to normal. Yet the quake phenomenon remains unexplained. 'We still haven't come to a conclusion about the causes,' Athanassios Ganas, the research director at the National Observatory of Athens' geodynamics institute, said this week. Some cliff-side areas that are prone to landslides will remain off limits until May 15 as earthquake experts seek ways to minimize risk, Mayor Nikos Zorzos told reporters at the launch of the island's tourism campaign at the Acropolis Museum in Athens on Tuesday. 'There'll be a bit of numbness at the beginning, but the season has opened — we're ready,' he insisted. Greece's tourism minister, Olga Kefalogianni, told the event that Santorini was 'returning to normality' and that it 'remains a safe and hospitable destination,' adding that the safety of residents and visitors 'is our absolute priority.' The quake crisis has also affected the island's seasonal work force, with the tremors adding to longstanding concerns by workers over the long hours required at summer resorts and a lack of year-round benefits like health insurance, said Giorgos Diamantopoulos, the general secretary of Santorini's association of traders and business professionals. Recruitment has already begun for the 25,000 seasonal workers whom the island's tourism sector relies on, he said, adding that hires so far have been from Albania, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Labor ministry statistics showed that just over 2,600 workers were hired in March. In the meantime, scientists are trying to understand the recent earthquakes. Researchers are using seismic monitors and remote-controlled underwater vehicles to study the tremors and the area's volcanoes — though they stress that no major eruption is expected, the last one having occurred 3,500 years ago. And on Monday evening, foreign scientists joined their Greek counterparts by video link for a discussion in Athens to analyze the tremors and mild volcanic activity with the help of artificial intelligence. They agreed on one thing: The earthquake sequence was unprecedented and remarkable. As for the prospects for a strong quake occurring, Mr. Ganas said the data suggested that it was unlikely, even as the region has the potential for a temblor of up to a magnitude of 7.1. The island's hoteliers are bracing for both geological and financial turmoil, although Ms. Manousoudaki said she was more worried about monetary losses than a possible large earthquake, given the resilience of Santorini's buildings. 'It's true that many buildings on the caldera are basically clinging to the cliffs,' she said. 'But they're built to withstand earthquakes,' she added. 'I feel safer here than I would in Athens.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High price of eggs impacts popular Des Moines brunch spots
DES MOINES, Iowa — The increasing price of eggs is a concern for consumers in grocery stores, but it's also impacting local restaurants. The Early Bird is a popular restaurant serving brunch in the Des Moines Metro, with locations in West Des Moines, Ankeny, and Des Moines' East Village. The owner, Kendal Owen, says the high price of eggs has a 'tremendous impact' on his business. According to the USDA Egg Markets Overview released on Friday, the average cost of a dozen eggs in the Midwest has increased to $7.81. Grand View's 'GK' looking to cap lifelong journey with another national title Owen says restaurants typically pay more because broadline distributors deliver eggs around three times a week to each of his locations, so it's more expensive than just buying from a grocery store when the price of delivery is accounted for. Between its three metro locations, The Early Bird uses between 1,200 and 1,500 eggs in a single day. Their menu has roughly 65 options and a majority include eggs. Owen says the cost of eggs for him has doubled within the last six months. However, just because the cost has increased for him, doesn't mean the menu at The Early Bird will reflect that. 'It's not our goal to do that. We really want to put our best foot forward to our guest and make sure that our menu prices stay consistent and relevant with the time,' said Owen. While he doesn't plan to increase menu prices anytime soon, Owen says it may be an option in the future. According to Owen, if the price of eggs continues to increase, he may have to revisit menu prices in roughly six months. Or, if the cost of other foods the restaurant purchases in large amounts also starts to increase, then menu prices will be reassessed. However, that is not a possibility the popular brunch restaurant is considering right now, and there are many options on the menu that don't contain eggs. High price of eggs impacts popular Des Moines brunch spots DMPD releases video in deadly January officer-involved shooting UPDATE: Missing 12-year-old found safe Polk County barn fire likely started from space heater Pleasant Hill townhome sustains damage in morning fire Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grand View's ‘GK' looking to cap lifelong journey with another national title
DES MOINES – Grand View wrestling is a dynasty on the NAIA level. Vikings have won 12 of the last 13 national championships. GV is favored to win it all again this year. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Garavous Kouekabakilaho, simply known as 'GK.' GK is the defending national champ, but his story of growing up, to where he is now is a testament to his work ethic and drive. John Sears has the story on the Viking trying to make one final push to the top of the podium. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
