K-wave COMES TO TOWN! — Handbag Homage

Full marks to the V&A for nailing the extraordinary culture of South Korea in their landmark exhibition Hallyu! The Korean Wave, the first event 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.

*PSY performs Gangnam Style, on Today, 2012, New York City. Courtesy of Jason Decrow, Invision, AP, Shutterstock.*

From K-Pop costumes to K-drama props and posters, to photography, sculpture, fashion, video and pop culture ephemera, the exhibition invites 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 movement through cinema, drama, music and fandoms and underline its cultural impact on the beauty and fashion industries. The exhibition will feature around 200 objects alongside pop culture ephemera and digital displays.

*Installation at exhibition introduction, with PSY'S Gangnam Style, at Hallyu! The Korean Wave*

Visitors will enter the gallery through a corridor lined by fan lightsticks, to be greeted by posters, ephemera and album covers from early K-Pop bands like Seo Taiji and Boys and BoA, before moving through to explore the concept of ‘Idols’ in K-pop. Highlights will include this monumental three-metre-high sculpture of G-Dragon by Gwon Osang.

There are four sections to the exhibition. Section One, ‘From Rubble to Smartphones’, will provide historical context to the meteoric rise of hallyu, highlighting how South Korea rapidly evolved from a country ravaged by war in the late 1950s to a leading cultural powerhouse by the early 2000s.

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. Korea’s modern history will be represented and explored through photography, posters and archive materials, alongside objects ranging from Olympics posters to early examples of electronics – including, pictured, a monumental 1986 video sculpture by artist Nam June Paik, featuring 33 TV monitors.

Section Two, ‘Spotlighting K-drama and Cinema’ – will focus on the remarkable success of K-drama and film and will include the infamous pink guard costumes and green tracksuit from the hit Netflix series Squid Game, pictured below.

One of my favourite exhibits is an amazing re-creation 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 reassembled, under the guidance of its acclaimed production designer Lee Ha Jun. Its atmosphere is palpable. Parasite became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition, as well as the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.

‘Sounding K-pop and Fandoms’, the third section, will delve into the explosion of K-Pop music around the world. For this section the V&A has also worked with celebrated K-pop Style and Visual Director, Gee Eun.

The final section, titled ‘Making K-beauty and Fashion’, will present the genre underlining their origins and 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 13th century 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 other designers are reimagining the silhouette of hanbok, the national costume of Korea.

The final display of the exhibition will be dedicated to contemporary Korean fashion designers creating colourful, showstopping garments, including looks by Minju Kim, Münn, and Miss Sohee. The iconic Peony dress, pictured, is from Miss Sohee’s 2020 graduation collection ‘The Girl in Full Bloom’. Photographed by Daniel Sachon.

Rosalie Kim, curator of Hallyu! The Korean Wave articulates her project perfectly: “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.”

Finally, before you go, feast your eyes on this a shimmering ‘embroidery painting’ that was created by South Korean contemporary artist Kyungah Ham. Entitled What you see is the unseen | Chandeliers for the Five Cities, the masterpiece was created through the seemingly “impossible collaboration” with anonymous North Korean embroiderers.

Hallyu! The Korean Wave runs until 25 June 2023. Tickets are on sale now at vam.ac.uk/kwave. The exhibition has been curated for the V&A by Lead Curator Rosalie Kim and Project Curator Yoojin Choi.

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