V&A to stage first major exhibition on Korean culture, Hallyu! The Korean Wave Hallyu! The Korean Wave.
V&A to stage first major exhibition on Korean culture, Hallyu! The Korean Wave Hallyu! The Korean Wave
24 September 2022 – 25 June 2023
Gallery 39 and North Court
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Republic of Korea and Genesis
vam.ac.uk/kwave | #KWaveLondon
L: PSY performs Gangnam Style, on TODAY, 2012, New York, USA. Courtesy of Jason Decrow, Invision, AP, Shutterstock
R: A Netflix Original Series. Squid Game Artwork © 2021 Netflix. All Rights Reserved
Opening in September 2022, the V&A’s landmark exhibition Hallyu! The Korean Wave will be the first exhibition of its kind to celebrate the colourful and dynamic popular culture of South Korea, following its early origins to its place on the global stage today.
From K-Pop costumes to K-drama props and posters, alongside photography, sculpture, fashion, video and pop culture ephemera, the exhibition will invite visitors to delve into the phenomenon known as ‘hallyu’ – meaning ‘Korean Wave’. Hallyu rose to prominence in the late 1990s, rippling across Asia before reaching all corners of the world and challenging the currents of global pop culture today.
Hallyu! The Korean Wave will explore the makings of the Korean Wave through cinema, drama, music and fandoms, and underline its cultural impact on the beauty and fashion industries. The exhibition will feature around 200 objects across four thematic sections – including some loans never seen in the UK before – alongside pop culture ephemera and digital displays. Highlights will include an immersive re-creation of Parasite’s bathroom set, and an array of iconic costumes and props seen in K-drama, film and music – including from hit Netflix series Squid Game, and outfits worn by different generations of K-pop idols, from PSY, to aespa and ATEEZ. It will also present monumental artworks, including by Nam June Paik, Ham Kyungah and Gwon Osang; around 20 high fashion looks by Tchai Kim, Miss Sohee and Minju Kim among others; as well as early examples of advertising and branding, including an original poster from the SeoulOlympics, and the first Korean branded cosmetic from the 1910s. In the exhibition, hallyu will also be used as a gateway to explore traditional and contemporary Korean culture by connecting historic objects with popular culture and socio-political events.
Rosalie Kim, curator of Hallyu! The Korean Wave, said: “South Korea has captivated the world over with hallyu, its vibrant and creative popular culture, which has transformed the country’s image from one devastated by the Korean War to that of a leading cultural powerhouse in the era of social media and digital culture today. This phenomenon has been amplified by tech-savvy and socially conscious global fanbases, further raising the profile and relevance of hallyu around the world, and we’re delighted to be bringing its energy and dynamism to the V&A this autumn in the first exhibition of its kind.”
About the Exhibition:
The exhibition will open with a familiar example of hallyu: PSY’s viral 2012 hit single ‘Gangnam Style’, with his iconic pink suit jacket on display. The song and its quirky dance moves were an overnight sensation, and it became the first music video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. The hugely successful video was an early reflection of hallyu’s international appeal that went on to launch a global phenomenon, inspiring parodies and cover versions across the world, several examples of which, filmed across multiple continents, will also feature in this introduction.
Section one, ‘From Rubble to Smartphones’, will provide historical context to the meteoric rise of hallyu, highlighting how – within living memory – South Korea rapidly evolved from a country ravaged by war in the late 1950s to a leading cultural powerhouse by the early 2000s. Korea’s 20th-century history is marked by the Japanese colonial occupation, the territorial division that led to the Korean War, and the subsequent 27 years of military rule. In the 1960s and 70s South Korea experienced rapid industrialisation and economic growth, and the country was propelled onto the international stage in 1988 with the Seoul Summer Olympics, changing Korea’s image overseas for the first time. Despite the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, bold strategies and IT innovations turned South Korea into one of the most digitally connected countries in the world by the late 90s. Korea’s modern history will be represented and explored in the exhibition through photography, posters and archive materials, alongside objects ranging from Olympics posters to early examples of electronics – including the world’s first commercial MP3 player – and a monumental 1986 video sculpture by artist Nam June Paik, featuring 33 TV monitors.
Section two – ‘Setting the Scene’ – will focus on the remarkable success of K-drama and film, charting in turn their rise in popularity from the late 1990s to the present day, through multimedia, installations, posters, storyboards, props and costumes. Highlights in this section will include the iconic pink guard costumes and green tracksuit from hit Netflix series Squid Game, and a recreation of the bathroom set from Bong Joon-Ho's Oscar-winning film Parasite. This will be the first time the bathroom in the Kim family’s banjiha – or semi-basement apartment – will be re-created, under the guidance of its acclaimed Production Designer Lee Ha Jun. Traditional Korean costumes and props will also be on display, including hats seen in Joseon era zombie series Kingdom, and the grooming kit from The Handmaiden. Finally, this section will showcase webtoons, a Korean innovation of digital cartoons designed for mobile devices, as a source of inspiration for many K-dramas. It will explore recurring themes in TV series, mixing genres and local narratives, such as the country’s relationship with North Korea as depicted on screen.
‘Global Groove’, the third section, will delve into the explosion of K-Pop music around the world, as well as underlining the crucial roles social media and fandoms play in increasing their reach. Visitors will enter the gallery through a corridor lined by fan lightsticks, then will be greeted by posters, ephemera and album covers from early K-Pop bands like Seo Taiji and Boys and BoA, before progressing through to explore the concept of ‘Idols’ in K-pop. Highlights will include a monumental three-metre-high sculpture of G-Dragon by Gwon Osang, whilst costumes on display will include aespa’s original iridescent outfits from the music video ‘Next Level’, and British punk fashion-inspired ensembles worn by four members of ATEEZ in the music video ‘Firework’. For this section the V&A has also worked with celebrated K-pop Style and Visual Director Geeeun, who has styled idols like BLACKPINK and BIGBANG, and Style Director Balko, who has worked with BTS and NCT, to design two new ‘Idol’ looks each. The section will also explore the hugely important role that K-Pop fandoms play in popularising and spreading K-Pop around the world, and suspended from the ceiling will be a selection of K-Pop banners acquired for the museum as part of a public call-out for submissions.
The final section in Hallyu!, titled ‘Inside Out’, will present K-beauty and fashion, underlining their origin whilst showcasing their innovative and experimental approach that led to new aesthetic standards both inside and outside of Korea. It will also highlight how product placement in K-dramas and endorsements from K-Pop idols have amplified the international profile of K-beauty and fashion. Featuring cosmetics packaging from the 13thcentury to the present day, the exhibition will trace packaging’s design evolution, from ornate porcelain pots to items including face mask wrappings boasting idols as superheroes. Hallyu! will conclude with K-fashion, showcasing over 20 looks by contemporary hanbok and fashion designers from Korea and the Korean diaspora. Whilst K-fashion is often characterised by its fun, fast-moving streetstyle and gender fluid outfits as illustrated by Kye, D-Antidote and Blindness, other designers are reimagining the silhouette of hanbok, the national costume of Korea. On display will be a look specially created for the V&A by acclaimed stylist Suh Younghee, alongside a K-pop hanbok by C-ZANN E, a pink jacket by Danha, and a purple cheollik dress by Tchai Kim, drawing their inspiration from traditional garments and patterns. The section will also feature hanbok-inspired daily wear designed for and by a younger generation, including Ji Won Choi and Darcycom. The final display of the exhibition will be dedicated to contemporary Korean fashion designers creating colourful, showstopping garments, including a Kim Seo Ryong overcoat, as seen on Jin from BTS in their Summer Package 2019, as well as looks by Minju Kim, Münn, and Miss Sohee.