Art shows this week

Pyongyang is poverty-stricken and repressed, but here in Seoul, people are quite stylish and happy with an awesome selection of food to choose from. Stereotypical as it is, this is the most general image that many have of the North and South. Unlike the South Korean locals who make these claims without experiencing the North, German architect and photographer Dieter Leistner, who has been to both countries, argues that the conjured image is a cliché. 

If writers reveal a part of themselves in their characters, perhaps that’s what photographers do when they take photos of others. Twenty-four years ago, the then-graduate student Koo Sung-soo started to photograph Seoulites. Years later it seems, he did more than that: He managed to unravel a part of himself and maybe, capture the ever-weary nature of humanity.

 

On the last Wed of the month, major art galleries, museums, and national palaces are free. Well, almost. Tickets for DDP and Hangaram Art Museum are half price if you visit after 6pm. Movies, concerts, musicals, street performances, and even sport games are all included in the benefits of "Culture Day." Here are some museums that sport Culture Day, as well as free exhibitions and events.