![]() Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough space in this section to illustrate the many bold young female filmmakers in South Korea, although there is a quick mention of Kim Bora’s film, House of Hummingbird. ![]() Koreans’ unquenchable desire to acquire new knowledge has long been a driving factor in the success of contemporary Korean culture. ![]() ![]() For instance, an example of Chaeekeori, a folding screen showcasing books, scholarly equipment, and precious items, so emblematic of the knowledge, self-cultivation and refined taste of the scholar-gentleman during Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), is displayed here merely to reflect academic pressures often represented in K-drama. The show seems rather shy about sharing certain beliefs on what shaped Korean culture’s success. RELATED STORY K-style: understanding the rise of Korea’s creative golden age Delightful details abound, such as the grooming kit and a handwritten letter from Sook-hee, the main character of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden along with prop photographs of the family in the acclaimed independent film Minari. The iconic pink guard costumes and green tracksuit from the hit Netflix series Squid Game, and a recreation of the bathroom set from Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite are both highlighted here. Section two, entitled ‘Setting the Scene’, focuses on the remarkable success of K-drama and film, through multimedia, installations, posters, storyboards, props and costumes. A monumental 1986 video sculpture by Nam June Paik, the founder of video art, featuring 33 TV monitors, hints at how young Koreans would become the masters of a new digital era. The country’s first mass-produced car, the Pony by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Hyundai Motor Company, occupies a small space next to a little jar of Lucky Cream by Lucky Chemicals, the first product of the brand which went to become tech giant LG. There are exhibits relating to the fascinating early days of Korean Chaebols, the conglomerates which have worked so closely with the government to build modern South Korea. Shin Gwang’s ‘We live in Seoul’ poster captures poor Koreans’ yearning for a more affluent urban life and an uplift in social status. Exhibition curator Rosalie Kim explains that in order to illustrate South Korea’s history, she selected items which would make sense as visitors move between sections exploring K-pop, K-drama, K-fashion, and K-beauty. The exhibition begins with a relatively small section titled ‘From Rubble to Smartphones’. Seoul, South Korea, 1932 - Miami, USA, 2006 © Nam June Paik Estate To illustrate hybridity, she adopted a combination of squares and rooms to illustrate hybridity in the spatial identity of Korean culture. Kim, who is known for her bold, boundary-busting approach and wishes to provoke diverse perspectives on Korean culture, picked contemporary hybridity as her key theme. Koreans are particularly excited about the selection of Berlin-based Na Kim as the lead space designer for the show. No matter your knowledge of Korean culture, this is a show where you cannot avoid learning something new, whether that be the foundations of K-Pop prior to the generally acknowledged forefathers Seo Taiji and Boys, or how K-beauty capitalised on YouTube to deliver three minute-manuals for transforming your skin. ![]() The result of painstakingly extensive research, this ambitious show attempts to cover a vast range of topics from K-pop, K-drama, K-film, K-fashion and K-beauty. ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ show, the first international exhibition to celebrate South Korea’s colourful and dynamic ‘K’ culture, is a great introduction for a Western audience. Not only has the V&A South Kensington opened its highly anticipated exhibition, ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’, the Coronet Theatre, an old cinema turned international arts venue in Notting Hill, is running a month-long Korean festival (until 1 October) with an impressive line-up, aptly titled ‘Tiger is Coming’, and Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa’s spectacular installation of giant inflatable fruit hangs on its façade. South Korea is feeling very much loved in London this autumn. ![]()
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