Art shows this week

 

Once a dilapidated neighborhood made up of factories and makeshift shacks during the 1970s, Ihwa Mural Village has since been redeveloped into an outdoor cultural art space, thanks to the beautification efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Stretching from the quintessentially Korean neighborhood of Ihwa to the beautifully manicured Naksan Park, the streets that wind through the somewhat ramshackle residential area are a collection of art installations, sculptures, murals and signboards created by over seventy different artists. The best way to explore this area is by getting lost, which allows visitors to discover some of the more obscure works. The added bonus of great city views make Ihwa worth visiting in the evening as well.

Ko Seong-bae’s a rather ambitious figure. This self-proclaimed “otaku-ditor-in-chief has been cultivating an “army of otaku soldiers” with his magazine The Kooh. So far, he's published 8 issues covering topics like ‘solo play,’ ‘obsession,’ ‘wandering’ and ‘production.’ The premise is that “everyone's got an otaku-tistic world of their own.” Ko’s real busy with, obviously, exploring, guiding and advocating, but was kind enough to offer us his expert opinions on the kidult culture that’s on the rise in Korea.    

He wakes up at 4am and lines up for 6 hours when a new PlayStation comes out. He’s got a 0.8 million-won commercial karaoke machine installed at home, along with his countless toys and collectibles for which he spent a fortune. Yang ended up creating a YouTube channel to share his toys, and now he’s got more than 400 million subscribers who’d love to play with him. We asked a few question to this professional, full-time “kidult.”