Review: Kstyle Takes Centre Stage At ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave At The V&A
This fall, South Korea is very popular in London. The Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington has not only opened the long-awaited Hallyu exhibition! The Korean Channel, Coronet Theatre, a former cinema-turned-international arts venue in Notting Hill, will host a month-long Korean festival (until October 1st) with an impressive cast, aptly titled “The Tiger is Coming” in Korean. An impressive installation of giant inflatable fruit hanging from the facade by artist Choi Jung-hwa.
hallelujah The Korean Wave Show, the first international exhibition celebrating South Korea's colorful and dynamic K culture, is a great introduction to Western audiences. As a result of extensive research, this ambitious show aims to cover a wide range of topics from K-Pop, K-Drama, K-Film, K-Fashion and K-Beauty.
Regardless of your knowledge of Korean culture, this is a show where you can't help but learn something new, whether it's the basics of K-Pop or how-to's from Seo Taeji and the Boyz' main forefathers. YouTube 3 minute tutorial to transform your skin.
The Koreans are particularly excited about the choice of Berlin-based Na Kim as lead designer for the software space. Known for his bold and innovative approach and willingness to show different perspectives on Korean culture, Kim has chosen contemporary hybridity as his main theme. To show hybridity, he used a combination of squares and rooms to show the hybridity of spatial identity in Korean culture.
Nam Joon Paik's Mirage Stage. Seoul, South Korea, 1932 – Miami, USA, 2006 © Nam Joon Paik Estate
The exhibit begins with a relatively short piece called "From Garbage to Smartphones." Rosalie Kim, curator of the exhibition, explained that in order to highlight the history of South Korea, she chose objects that would make sense as viewers navigated between K-pop, K-drama, fashion and beauty categories. Shin Gwan's "We Live in Seoul" poster shows poor Koreans yearning for rich city life and higher social status. Exhibits include the fascinating early days of Korean chaebols who worked closely with the government to create modern South Korea. Asana sits next to a small container of Lucky Chemicals' Lucky Cream, the first product from the brand that became tech giant LG. A commemorative video sculpture of video industry founder Nam Joon Paik with 33 TV monitors shows how young Koreans will become masters of the new digital age.
The second section, titled "Setting the Stage," highlights the extraordinary success of Korean dramas and films through multimedia, installations, posters, sets, props, and costumes. Featured here are the iconic pink security guard suits and green jumpsuits from Netflix's hit series The Squid Game , as well as a bathroom recreation from Pong Joon Ho's Oscar-winning film Parasite . Lots of adorable details like make-up and a handwritten letter from 'Girls ' protagonist Park Chan-wook Sook-hee, as well as family photos from the hit indie movie 'Minari'.
The show seems rather shy about sharing some of its beliefs about what has shaped the success of Korean culture. For example, an exhibition displaying examples of cheikori, books, scientific tools and knowledge, symbols of self-cultivation and precious objects symbolic of the refined taste of a gentleman scholar during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was simply stunning. Reflects the academic pressure that is often present in K-dramas. Koreans' insatiable desire to acquire new knowledge has served as the driving force behind the success of contemporary Korean culture. Unfortunately, there isn't enough space in this section to talk about the many daring young South Korean filmmakers, although Kim Bora's Hummingbird House does get a mention .
Loaded with powerful energy and an explosive K-pop soundtrack, "Global Groove" will get the audience fired up before the show. The interactive dance challenge lets you dance like a K-pop star. Follow the steps created by That That choreographer BB Trippin and watch them become part of an evolving collective dance displayed on a wall created in collaboration with the Google Arts & Culture Lab. See how you dance on screen with other viewers and you will feel like you. We just joined the popular K-pop music video.
Visitors enter the gallery through a hallway decorated with fans lit up in different colors associated with their favorite K-pop bands. G-Dragon, an early K-pop icon and global favorite of the late Karl Lagerfeld's style, looks unbeatable in Gowon Osang's untitled G-Dragon sculpture Space Without a Name. Check out the new 'Idol' look created by visual director Jung, who styled for the famous K-pop V&A program and BLACKPINK and BIGBANG, and style director Balko, who has worked with BTS and NCT.
The final section titled "Inside Out" introduces K's fashion and beauty, highlighting their origins and showcasing innovative and experimental methods that lead to new aesthetic standards. How designers are reimagining traditional Korean clothing silhouettes such as the hanbok, notably celebrity designers Soo Yong Hee and Chul Chae Kim's purple dress that redesigned clothing, in addition to underwear made especially for the V&A. Men in an elegant women's suit. Also on display are colorful dresses from UK-based young designers such as Minjoo Kim and Miss Sohee.
If there's one criticism, it's that the show glosses over the clever juxtaposition of past and present for which the V&A is known, and doesn't seem to clearly present the overall theme or story behind what made the Korean channel so successful. . . Still, it's a tasty, fun and playful dish that will whet the appetite of those looking to dive into dynamic new K-style territory. §
Blue Moon Jar dress by Minjoo Kim. Seoul, 2021 © Minjoo Kim, photo Sunmi Ahn, model Leehyun Kim
You Can't See What You See - Kyungah Ham's Torch for the Five Cities © Kyungah Ham. Courtesy of the artist and Cookje Gallery. Junho An's photo
