▲ Vintage silk. Saekdong by Darcygom. Photo by Jihoon Jung ⓒ Darcygom

The MFA Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, will hold an exhibition titled 'Hallyu! The Korean Wave,' which illuminates Korean pop culture.

The exhibition explores the process by which Korea created Hallyu culture through movies, dramas, music, and fandom, and highlights the cultural impact of Hallyu on the beauty and fashion industry.
 

▲ Jun Min Cho, Gangnam view of Hyundai apartment blocks, 20th century ⓒ Museum of Contemporary History of Korea. The exhibition focuses on Hallyu culture, which began to stand out in the late 1990s and created ripples throughout Asia and spread around the world to challenge the current trend of global pop culture. The exhibition features about 250 works with digital displays across several thematic sections.

The exhibition first introduces the historical context for the rapid growth of the Korean Wave. It explains how Korea, a war-torn country in the late 1950s, quickly developed into a cultural powerhouse by the early 2000s.
 

▲ Squid Game © 2021 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

In the section, the audience can see about Korea's modern history with photos, posters, and archive materials, including Olympic posters, early electronics featuring the world's first commercial MP3, and a monumental 1986 video sculpture by artist Nam June Paik.

Secondly, focusing on the success of Korean dramas and movies, we show the flow from the late 1990s to the present through multimedia, installation, posters, storyboards, props, and costumes. 

▲ Moon Jar Dress, Cotton wool mix. Seoul, 2021 © Minju Kim, Photo Sangmi An, Model Leehyun Kim.

Third, it sheds light on the explosive demand for K-pop music worldwide. It shows the context of how Korean K-pop music, represented by BTS and Black Pink, developed and incorporated into the global music market.

Finally, the exhibition showcases K-Beauty, the origins of fashion culture, and an innovative and experimental approach that has led to new aesthetic standards. The venue features pieces of clothing, such as modern hanbok, produced by various costume designers.

The exhibition will be held from Mar. 24 to July 28 at MFA Boston in Massachusetts, U.S., and tickets can be pre-booked online.

▲ aespa Next Level MV, 2021 © SM Entertainment

Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com