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39 tHE trials and tribulations of supErcolorsupEr The 3-D hybrid of art, live performances and partying made SuperColorSuper a staple on the Korean indie scene. The audience gets involved in its psychedelic art, crystals and shadow puppeteer hands-on art events from beginning to end. Artists attend to showcase their work, with well-known bands adding an ethereal, otherworldly feel to the event. Past acts include Caribou, Teengirl Fantasy, Mogwai, Coco Rosie and Toro y Moi. This continuous battery of beautiful sights and sounds turned the traditional party and musical performance on its head. tHE risE of Eat your KimcHi Married couple Simon and Martina Stawski use their jovial humor to compile entertaining videos for their Eat Your Kimchi blog. They dish out the latest info on K-pop – good or bad – to an English-speaking audience hungry for all things K-pop and Korean culture-related in 180 countries. It’s an offcial YouTube Partner with over a quarter-million subscribers, proving the duo’s influence in the Korean Wave scene, and this brings groupies and screaming fans. “The whole idea of celebrity is something very odd to us,” Simon said. “We’ve had people come up to us almost crying and asking for a hug. And for us it’s bizarre.” Expat supErstars Local morning TV mainstay Bronwyn Mullen, LG spokesman Jesse Day, rapper and TV host Jake Pains and hip-hop performer and entrepreneur Pinnacle TheHustler are at the top of their game in their entertainment felds. But it’s not all celebrity shoulder rubbing and VIP guest lists. Perfecting the language and communicating with Korean cast and crew, performing for audiences and sacrifcing sleep and relationships has gotten these expats a shot in the Korean limelight. The path has been paved for future expat entertainers – so long as the newbies can catch up, because these guys will never stop. past decade, as has British TV personality and sought-after MC Jake Pains. He said the hard work has paid off for him too, and now he is able to pick and choose which events he performs at. “As the first ever foreign MC to do real emceeing in big clubs, not just ‘are you ready, let’s go!,’ I’m proud to see how there is a real club culture for MCs now.” Hip-hop artist Pinnacle TheHustler echoed Pains, saying he, too, now has more control over his career as there is more demand for hip-hop and other internationally influenced music. “The scene has developed consider- ably,” the American rapper says. “There are more creatives that are doing some great things in the expat community, and there are more Koreans taking risks.” And although the arts continue to gain more recognition and support, artists still run into obstacles, with the language barrier obviously being a big one. Irish visual artist Aoife Casey explains that finding gallery space and get- ting permission to shoot in particular locations would be made easier with a better grasp of the language. “However, there are organiza- tions like PANK (Professional Artist Network Korea) which help facilitate and curate group shows for artists.” Mike Stewart opened Jankura Art Space, a place for artists to come together, create and learn in English, and said since he got his “artistic gears rolling again in 2006” he has seen more serious artists emerge. “It’s great to see people not giving up on what they had a passion for before crossing the sea,” he said — something all foreign artists and art enthusiasts in Korea can assuredly agree on. Story by Remy Raitt / Photos by Dylan Goldby and courtesy of the artists / Sidebar by Ken Fibbe 05.2012 09.2012 03.2014 Eshe Loose Union Mike Stewart Jak e Pains Aoif e Casey More info j Joe Wabe www.500px.com/joewabe Eshe www.eshebellydancer.homestead.com Loose Union www.looseunion.com Magna Fall www.magnafall.com Jake Pains www.facebook.com/beingjake Pinnacle TheHustler www.planethustle.com Aoife Casey www.aoifecasey.com Jankura Artspace jankuraseoul.com Pinnacle