jun july_2010_final.indd - Korean Cultural Center New York

2010
July ~ August
TUESDAY, July 27, 7PM
GIRL BY GIRL (2007, 80 minutes, New York Premiere)
Starting life as a student film made for cable
TV, GIRL BY GIRL (SONYEO X SONYEO)
became a popular hit thanks to its ferociously
committed lead performance by Kwak Ji-Min,
the star of Kim Ki-Duk’s SAMARITAN GIRL
and one of the actors in the bawdy, over-thetop DASEPO NAUGHTY GIRLS. In GIRL
BY GIRL Kwak plays a troublemaking high
school student out for a good time and nothing more. When she and a model student
both fall for the same guy, she figures that this means war, and so she manages to
convince the model student that their dream man only likes bad girls, while trying to
turn herself into the perfect high school girl he actually desires. It sounds contrived,
and it is, but Kwak’s go-for-broke performance papers over all the rough spots with
its speed and commitment. She’s heartless one minute, ridiculous another and then
oddly sympathetic, just like a real teenager.
TUESDAY, August 10, 7PM
PUNCH STRIKE (2006, 81 minutes, New York Premiere)
Korean directors are almost exclusively male, and
PUNCH STRIKE would be notable if for no other
reason that for the fact that its director, Ryou EunJung, is a woman. She worked in the trenches for
years before she was able to make her short film “A
Smoke-Flavored Life” which won awards at film festivals around the world. She followed it up with PUNCH
STRIKE, a rambunctious flick that takes on the high
school power dynamic in Korea, which makes even
the most dysfunctional American high school look like
paradise. Hard-working character actor, Lim WonHie, plays “Mad Dog” a psychotic teacher who physically abuses and sexually humiliates his students. But
when he slaps Mina (Park Min-Ji) in the face in front of
her secret crush he’s crossed the line. She and her two friends begin a quiet revolution as they seek their revenge. As bouncy and rambunctious as a 16 year old
texting while talking on the phone and updating their Facebook page, it’s a movie
that fell between the cracks but that deserves wider exposure for its particular take
on high school hell.
TUESDAY, August 24, 7pm
MY LITTLE EROTIC LOVER (2000, 110 minutes)
This TV movie is one of powerhouse broadcaster KBS’ new “Drama Specials,” 60 minute made-for-TV movies that showcase their
hottest talent. MY LITTLE EROTIC LOVER
(aka OUR SLIGHTLY RISQUE RELATIONSHIP) is a typical meet-cute between a
broadcaster and a reporter who can’t stand
the sight of each other. Elevating this formula is the bawdy nature of the comedy (they
meet cute when she spills hot soup on his
crotch, sparking a medical emergency) and the fact that it stars Lee Seon-Gyun.
Lee was relegated to second string and bit parts for years before he starred in the
2007 TV series, THE 1st SHOP OF THE COFFEE PRINCE, playing the owner of a
run down coffee house. The show was a massive hit and he followed it up with the
medical TV series, WHITE TOWER. Not only is he now the biggest male lead in
Korean television, but last year he won an acting award for his role in the acclaimed
feature film PAJU.
KOREAN
CULTURAL SERVICE
NEW YORK
A Commemorative Art Exhibit Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of
the Fulbright Program in Korea
July 7 ~ 16
Gallery Korea of Korean Culture Service NY
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 7, 6 ~ 8 PM
The Korean-American
Educational Commission
(KAEC), the Korea Fulbright
Alumni Association and the
Korea Fulbright Foundation
presents “Cross-Cultural
Visions” from the 7th to
the 16th of July at Gallery
Korea of the Korean Cultural Service New York. Thirteen American and twenty
Korean artists, all alumni of the Fulbright program in Korea, will come together in
this commemorative exhibition to showcase their works of art.
Inspired and made possible by the Fulbright program, this exhibition will take its
audience on a journey traversing cultures and promoting exchange of artistic
visions. “Cross-Cultural Visions” will also be traveling to Washington, D.C. and
Seoul, in conjunction with several other celebratory events and activities honoring
the tremendous achievements of Fulbright Korea in the last 60 years.
Book Launch: Network and Fluid by
Heng-Gil Han
Korean Culture Service NY
Thursday, July 15, 6 ~ 8PM
Gallery Korea is pleased to launch the Korean publication
“Network and Fluid” by Heng-Gil Han, offering a platform
for a discussion with the author on contemporary art. Led
by the guest moderator Wolhee Choe, the discussion
will focus on various theses explored in the publication,
in which the author suggests a way of seeing art as an
agent that allows the world to transform as opposed to a
container that captures its fugitive moments. While calling
the two historical paradigms of painting, perspective and the grid, into question, the
author defines the meanings of space and time in terms of networks and fluidity.
The discussion is free of charge and open to the public.
In Time Together WDA Global Dance Event featuring SEOP-Dance Company
Friday, July 16, 7:30PM
Dance Theater Workshop
(219 West 19th Street, NYC)
The WDA (World Dance Alliance)
Global Dance Event is a conference
and festival which will bring together
a group of over 300 dance artists,
scholars, and educators including
individuals and groups from more
than 25 countries. The theme In
Time Together: Viewing and Reviewing Contemporary Dance Practice encourages
investigation of relationships between dance and temporality, emphasizing the contemporary (con-/together + tempus/time).
The Event’s July 16 concert features A Man’s Requiem performance by SEOPDance Company directed by Yong Chul Kim. Founded in 1992, SEOP-Dance produces dazzling choreographic works which combines Korean roots with contemporary vision.
Tickets are $15. To purchase tickets, call 212-924-0077 or visit www.dancetheaterworkshop.org/WDAdance.
Passion of Four Seasons at PAM 2010
Sunday, July 18, 3PM
Teatro IATI
(64 East 4th Street, NYC)
Created by NARU Korean Contemporary Performing Arts, Passion of Four
Seasons will be presented as the part
of PAM (Performing Arts Marathon)
2010 Festival. This piece features the
beauty of Korea’s four seasons with
brilliant and colorful choreographies. It
is divided into four themes: Flower, Fever, Falling and Flying. The interpretation of all
choreographies is inspired by the essential beauty of Korea’s nature, and a story is
unfolded through NARU dancers.
Founded in 2007, NARU KCP Arts is the youngest-run mainstream Korean performing artists’ organization, specializing in cutting-edge contemporary work based on
Korean traditional cultural background.
PAM 2010 is a 3-week long multi-cultural event in which 150 artists from 14 national
and international productions in dance, music and theater take part in. It honors diversity and creativity in all performing art disciplines, as it gives talented new artists
a chance to showcase their crafts. Teatro IATI is a Hispanic cultural institution in NY
that covers all performing arts disciplines–theater, music and dance. To showcase
these disciplines on one stage, PAM was created in 2008.
Tickets are $20. For more information, please contact (212)505-6757, 347-3036729 (Korean service) or info@teatroiati.org.
KCSNY Summer Music Festival II:
Summer Lucky Seven
Thursday, July 22, 7PM
Korean Cultural Service NY
KCSNY and Camerata Virtuosi of NJ co-present the second
installment of the KCSNY Summer Music Festival: Summer
Lucky Seven. Seven chamber ensemble musicians from
the Camerata Virtuosi of NJ will perform Beethoven’s Septet, op. 20, E-flat major, Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat
Suite (The soldier’s Tale), and Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis. It is more than a
coincidence that Dead Elvis is scored for the same instrumentation as L’Histoire du
Soldat , in which a soldier sells his violin, and his soul, to the devil for a magic book.
Daugherty offers a new spin on this Faustian scenario of a rock star selling out to
Hollywood for wealth and fame. Shotaro Mori, distinguished Bassoonist will perform
as an Elvis impersonator accompanied by a chamber ensemble. Commentary for
the concert will be provided by maestro Ben Rhee, a former Associate Conductor of
the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Kim, a renowned cellist.
Founded by Rhee and Kim, Camerata Virtuosi of NJ is dedicated to presenting the
highest quality performances of classical and contemporary music from the Baroque
period to the living composers’ new works. It is also committed to delighting and
educating people of all ages and enriching the quality of life in New Jersey and New
York.
Admission is free but reservation is required. Please call 212-759-9550 or email at
info@koreanculture.org to RSVP.
Pianist Haesun Paik and Minsoo Sohn at
the 12th Annual International Keyboard
Institute and Festival
Friday, July 23, 6PM & Wednesday, July 28, 8:30PM
Mannes Concert Hall
(150 West 85th Street, NYC)
Mannes College The New School for Music will present
the 12th Annual International Keyboard Institute and Festival from July 18–August 1. Two concert series will take
place this year: the Prestige Series concert at 6PM featuring accomplished young
artists from around the world, many of them recent winners of major international
competitions; and the Masters Series concerts at 8:30PM featuring renowned guest
artists and faculty. This year, Korean pianist Minsoo Sohn will participate in the Prestige Series concert on July 23 and Haesun Paik will perform at the Masters Series
concert on July 28. The program includes the works of Beethoven, Rachmaninoff,
Chopin, Liszt, and more.
and the International Association for Jazz Education in Toronto. She has also performed at some of Asia’s top jazz venues in Korea and Japan, including the main
stage of the inaugural Jarasum International Jazz Festival where she was billed
alongside such luminaries as Dennis Chambers, Chris Minh Doky and Hiram Bullock. She was recently appeared on NBC Live “Weekend Today in New York” and
her latest album release, Mona Lisa Puzzle won the Best Jazz Album Category in
the 2009 New England Urban Music Awards.
Admission is $20 per concert; $50 for daily pass. For more information, visit www.
ikif.org or call 212.580.0210 x4858.
Music charge is $20/ $10 (student). For more information, call 212-581-3080 or
visit www.birdlandjazz.com.
Exhibition: Personal Zone
July 28 ~ August 20
Gallery Korea of Korean Culture Service NY
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 28, 6 ~ 8PM
August
July
Exhibition: Cross-Cultural Visions
Following Gallery Korea’s successful first show from “Call For
Artists 2010”, the second show
is ready to begin with high expectation and confidence. The
second show, “Personal Zone”
is based on the idea of human
interaction. The work of six artists, Heejung Kim, Jin-kang Park, Eunah Song, Suyeon Na, Seo Jo and Yoon Cho,
explore various degrees of emotional states in which most of them are driven from a
dark side of communication. Numerous breathtaking and inspiring interpretations of
each work allow the viewers to navigate through its mystic “Personal Zone”.
KCSNY Summer Music Festival III:
Summer Romance
Friday, August 27, 7PM
Korean Cultural Service NY
Final concert of the KCSNY Summer Music Festival will
present the evening of chamber music with the Camerata
Virtuosi of NJ. The repertoire includes Schubert’s Andantino from string quartet in A minor Rosamunde, HandelHalvorsen’s Passacaglia for violin and cello, Piazzola’s
Oblivion for violin, cello and piano, and Shostakovich’s
Second Waltz from Jazz Suite #2 for 2 violins, cello, piano. Pianist Jae Hyuck Cho
will perform Chopin’s Piano concerto No.1 op.11 in E minor with the string quartet.
Admission is free but reservation is required. Please call 212-759-9550 or email at
info@koreanculture.org to rsvp.
Korea Day at Central Park
Friday, July 30, 11AM~7PM
Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park (Mid-Park from 66th to 72nd Street, NYC)
Korea Day will be held in the
heart of New York, at Central
Park Naumberg Bandshell for
New Yorkers and tourists to
experience the different aspects of Korean Culture.
The event will begin with the
60th anniversary of Korean
War Commemoration to prompt visitors that South Korea has rapidly become fully
developed. Central Park has been arbitrarily picked for New Yorkers and tourists to
reach without any difficulty, also gathered wide variety of plans to globalize Korean
Culture with main stage and booth functions.
Our Strategy is to give out samples of food representing Korea such as Bibimbap,
Bulgogi, Naengmyun (Korean style cold noodles), rice punch, cinnamon punch and
so on. Eye catching traditional performances will be showing off its talents conducted
with Janggo and Buk including modern dance, electric violin, and jazz portraying
modern culture.
Korea Day is sponsored by Korean Cultural Service NY, Agro-trade & Exhibition
Center, Korea Tourism Organization and etc; with an accompaniment of Korean Cuisine Globalization Committee.
For more information call (212) 448-1080, koreadaynyc@newyork-network.com or
visit www.koreadaynyc.org.
Jazz pianist Hey Rim Jeon at Birdland
Thursday, August 12, 6PM
Birdland
(315 West 44th Street, NYC)
Up-and-coming Korean jazz pianist Hey Rim Jeon will perform at the famous jazz venue Birdland. Jeon is an active
performer both nationally and internationally. She performs
regularly with her band and as a soloist in the New England
and New York areas. Notable shows include an appearance
at the Lincoln Center, the Jazz Informance in Chesapeake,
UPCOMING MOVIES
Tribeca Cinemas ( 54 Varick St., NYC)
Series Three: TV Party
In America, Korea is famous for its movies, but across most of the world
it’s famous for its TV. Korean drama series have sparked what’s known as
the Hallyu Wave, which has seen Korean television score everywhere in
Asia, from China to Japan. Some Korean TV stars are even more popular
overseas than they are at home. Korean television dramas have been so
popular in Malaysia that kimchi imports to that country jumped 150% after
the airing of several series, and Korean TV series are part of primetime
programming both in Cambodia and Iran.
TUESDAY, July 13, 7PM
TOKYO TAXI (2010, 76 minutes, New York Premiere)
Award-winning, arthouse darling, director Kim Tae-Sik
(DRIVING WITH MY WIFE’S LOVER), made this TV
movie that was so acclaimed it went on to do the film
festival rounds. Ryo (Masashi Yamada) is going to
ruin everything. His band has been invited to a play
a concert in Seoul, but he’s terrified of flying and so
he cowers in Tokyo. But in a burst of inspiration he
hails a taxi and demands that it honor its pledge to
take him to any destination, in this case, Seoul. And
so begins an epic odyssey of passenger and driver
across hundreds of miles and two countries in this wry,
sharply-observed comedy. One of the best and most
ambitious of the made-for-TV movies, it helped launch
the career of Yu Hana, who plays an Asiana stewardess and Ryo’s unobtainable object of desire.