[HanCinema's Digest] Photography and Art

The Korea Herald explores the art of K-pop dance, see inside Incheon International's new "artport", a South Korean artist celebrates the Winter Games with a unique stone creation, and is the 'cyberpunk' aesthetic trending in Korea?

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"[Video] Exploring the art of K-pop dance"

The popularity of K-pop, especially its dance routines, is a phenomenon that needs explaining. According to May J. Lee, co-creator of a number of dances (e.g. Twice's "Knock Knock" and Jay Park's "All I Wanna Do") and member of the 1Million Studio, the best dances are dependent on a song's particular concept, and it has to be catchy. In this feature on The Korea Herald, writer Rumy Doo interviews Lee about her work, as well the massive success of YouTube K-pop dance channels like 1Million Studio. "When it all comes together and a song immediately brings to mind its dance, even before the song's singer - that's the best kind of choreography".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"Artist captures winter Olympic scenes in South Korean marble"

The Winter Games are nigh, and South Korean artist Pionara has created a unique piece of art made from a type of marble found in the host city of PyeongChang. Her aim is to "capture the dramatic moments" that will no doubt occur at this year's games: "skiers run steep mountains, figure skaters show off beautiful performances, and bobsleigh slide down fast". Click on through to Design Boom for half a dozen photographs of Pionara's innovative and timely work of art.

...READ ON DESIGN BOOM

"Korea goes 'cyberpunk'"

There's an interesting new stylised aesthetic emerging among South Korea's robust street photography scene, a 'look' that, according to Jon Dunbar on The Korea Times, "evokes a futuristic yet retro aesthetic, reminiscent of sci-fi movies". It's been described as "cyberpunk", "neo-noir" a la Blade Runner, or, as one British expat described it, "high-tech, low-life". One image in particular by Steve Roe of an alley near Bupyeong Station won a photography competition on Reddit last year. "South Korea is perfect for this style of photography and it is still pretty untouched by a lot of the top photographers doing this style who mostly shoot in Tokyo or Hong Kong", said Roe. "Korea also has all of its telephone and power cables aboveground so it adds to that appearance of tech".

...READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"[Weekender] Art on the run at new Incheon terminal"

Incheon International Airport was already an award-winning nexus in the region before its new Terminal 2 was completed. The terminal, in addition to all the technological wizardry we've come to expect from such a tech-driven powerhouse like South Korea, and the top quality K-cuisine and other basic services, will be unique because of how much emphasis was placed on the general design and artistic merit of Korea's most popular airport -- or "artport"? According to Jinnie Seo, one of the artists whose work was installed in the new terminal, "Airports are (perhaps) the most optimal places to experience artworks. Airports -- which is marked by constants movements -- arouse excitement and curiosity in travellers who are on the verge of departure".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD