Here’s your weekly dose of interesting things to immerse yourself in over the long weekend and through the rest of the week. Get ready to mark your calendars cause we’ve got you covered from food to film!
EAT OUT
If you haven’t tried KIMCHEE TO GO yet (a take-away version of the popular Holborn Korean restaurant), now might be a good time to drop in. The long queues have died down, but they continue to introduce new foods to their affordable menu, including Korean pizza and sweet & spicy fried chicken. There are now two branches open in London; one on The Strand near Covent Garden, and the other at New Oxford Street close to Tottenham Court Road station.
GO
Hear a free talk on the Japanese paper folding art called origami. Tuesday, August 27 at the Japan Foundation. Booking is required. Details here.
The Art of Influence: Asian Propaganda, a free exhibition at the British Museum, finishes on September 1. If you can’t get enough propaganda, you might also enjoy the British Library’s paid exhibit ‘Propaganda: Power and Persuasion‘, which includes many pieces from China, among other places. It runs until Sept. 17, but you can join a free guided tour on Aug. 29 if you so wish.
READ
Hiromi Kawakami’s sparkling short novel of romance between an elderly teacher and his student, ‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’, was published earlier this month by London’s Portobello Books. It was previously translated in the United States as ‘The Briefcase’.
SEE
The thrilling Beijing-set stage play ‘Chimerica’ continues at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. Official Website: http://www.chimerica.co.uk/
‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’ by director Park Chan-wook (Stoker) is showing at the Korean Cultural Centre near Trafalgar Square on Aug. 29 at 7PM as part of a series of films looking at the work of actor Choi Min-sik (Oldboy), who is scheduled to visit London later this year. Booking is necessary, but it’s free to join. If you enjoy violent revenge thrillers such as this one, you may also want to see the new film ‘Only God Forgives’, starring Ryan Gosling and set in Bangkok, Thailand. It’s playing now in select cinemas around London and the UK.
The Satyajit Ray season continues at the BFI Southbank. You can also see some of Mr. Ray’s poster art designs at a special free exhibition in the BFI lobby. Meanwhile, two of his films will be released on Blu-Ray disc in the UK this week by Artificial Eye: ‘The Coward’ (Kapurush), and ‘The Lonely Wife’ (Charulata). Available at the BFI shop, or online. More to follow soon.
SIRO-A, Japan’s answer to the Blue Man Group, continues at the Leicester Square Theatre.
