Latest news with #NationalAsianCultureCenter
Hypebeast
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
New Show Explores the Past, Present and Future of Ryoji Ikeda
Summary As the National Asian Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju, South Korea celebrates its 10th anniversary, it turns toRyoji Ikeda, the seminal artist who helped defines its beginnings. His first return since the inaugural 'test pattern [n°8],' the institution welcomes Ikeda back once again for a new solo exhibition, reflecting on a decade of artistic innovation and conceptual turns. For Ikeda, data is less of a means of information, than an aesthetic material. The artist has spent over three decades pushing the boundaries of perception by transforming raw information into immersive experiences that question the nature of reality in the digital age. The ongoing exhibition brings together seven pieces, including his seminaldata-versetrilogy in its entirety. Alongside 'dataverse 1/2/3' are four new works being shown for the first time — ' (n˚2),' 'critical mass,' 'sleeping beauty' and ' (n˚8)' — which highlight evolutions made within the artist's practice and technology at large since his 2015 ACC presentation. Urging audiences to consider humanity's place in a world shaped by code, Ikeda channels beauty from algorithmic exhaust, offering a powerful meditation on what it means to see, hear and exist in the age of information overload. ACC Focus 2025: Ryoji Ikedais now on view through December 28. National Asian Culture Center38 Munhwajeondang-ro, Dong-gu,Gwangju, South Korea
Korea Herald
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
8 actors, 1 role: experimental play 'Rosetta' to open in Seoul
Kim Sung-ryung joins international cast performing in both Korean and English Eight actors will take turns playing a single role in the experimental production "Rosetta," set to open in Seoul next month. The National Theater Company of Korea said "Rosetta," co-produced with the National Asian Culture Center in Gwangju, will run Aug. 23 to 31 at the Myeongdong Theater. The play follows the life of Rosetta Sherwood Hall, a US doctor and missionary who devoted herself to advancing modern medicine and education for women in Korea. The story follows Rosetta from the time she arrives in Korea in 1890. There, she fights discrimination and prejudice while founding the nation's first school for the visually impaired, the Pyongyang School for the Deaf and Blind in 1909, and the Chosun Women's Medical Training Institute in 1928. Premiered in Gwangju in 2023, "Rosetta" was jointly produced by the National Asian Culture Center in collaboration with The Living Theater, the oldest experimental drama troupe in the US, and the Korean company Playfactory Mabangzen. Eight Korean and American actors will alternate in the lead role of Rosetta. Kim Sung-ryung joins this year's cast alongside Living Theatre members Brad Burgess and Emma Sue Harris. Performed in both Korean and English, the production uses language to underscore the communication barriers between Rosetta and the Korean people. The premiere was written and directed by playwright and director Yossef K. Junghan, who previously worked with The Living Theatre. Following its Seoul run, "Rosetta" will be staged at the Busan Cinema Center, Sept. 5-6, and at the Tottori Prefecture Citizens' Culture Hall in Japan, Sept. 27-28.
Korea Herald
06-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Culture Ministry unveils long-term plan aimed to meet societal changes
Cultural initiatives to address regional imbalance, shrinking population, economic challenges The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday unveiled a long-term plan called "Culture Korea 2035" that lays out guidelines for policies going forward. The comprehensive plan with 30 key initiatives is aimed at responding to the rapidly changing environment, a shrinking and aging population and growing non-Korean demographics, the ministry said. Additionally, the ministry seeks ways to leverage Korean content to drive the country's economy while also vowing to utilize cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and extended reality. 'It's a complex time and we debated whether it is appropriate. However, members of the ministry arrived at a consensus for a long-term vision and joined forces in creating this vision. I hope there won't be big changes (in the long-term vision),' Culture Minister Yu In-chon told reporters at a press conference Thursday. "In response to these evolving demands and circumstances, we must reflect on what actions to take now to shape a future where the values of 'creativity and innovation,' 'diversity and inclusivity' and 'openness and integration' in culture extend beyond individuals to society, the economy, regions and the world," Yu said. A key priority is achieving regional balance by strengthening cultural activities in underserved areas, according to the ministry. One proposed measure is relocating state arts companies outside of Seoul. The first step in this initiative will be the relocation of the Seoul Performing Arts Company to Gwangju next year, where it will become the resident art troupe of the National Asian Culture Center. This was a step back from an earlier position Wednesday when Yu told a session of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee that SPAC would be moved to Gwangju within this year. Additionally, four national youth arts organizations in four areas, including Korean dance, will be established outside of Seoul and operate in collaboration with local cultural institutions, in an effort to promote decentralizaiton of cultural activities. The relocation of public cultural institutions will be implemented step by step, the ministry said, taking into consideration factors such as facility construction, alignment with Korea's designated cultural cities, regional specialization strategies and benefits expected from relocation. Through these initiatives, the ministry hopes to create a model where the central and regional governments can work together, involving regional governments in cultural acitivities and policies. Despite stalled inter-Korean relations, the ministry plans to review and create an archive of the past 35 years of cultural cooperation between the two Koreas. In the content sector, a series of large-scale projects will be launched to shape the next 30 years, including the development of a K-Content Culture Complex, a National Video Museum, a Hall of Fame for Popular Culture and Arts and a Game Complex. The ministry noted there is a need to expand leisure facilities nationwide and promote community sports, while considering the preferences and needs of policy beneficiaries, including children and the elderly. The ministry also recognized South Korea's transition into a multicultural society, with 6.8 percent of the total population having immigrant backgrounds, and emphasized the need to incorporate cultural differences and diversity into policymaking. Contrary to expectations, the plan did not include the administrative integration of five national arts groups, a proposal that sparked controversy after it was leaked last month. Yu reaffirmed that the plan would be scrapped if opposition remains strong, but emphasized that the ministry would continue discussions with the organizations going forward.
