South Korean culture is going global again – this time for its contemporary art
Pop-culture crossovers are injecting plenty of fresh energy and buzz into Seoul’s already well-established museum and gallery scene.
South Korea’s soft-power ascendancy goes beyond catchy songs, skin-care routines and K-pop Demon Hunters: it also extends to its artistic exports. Multidisciplinary artist Suh Do-ho held a hit exhibition at London’s Tate Modern last year while Lee Bul’s mid-year retrospective arrives this November at the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp.
Though Suh and Lee, both in their sixties, attract global eyes on merit, it is impossible to ignore the influence that K-pop’s genre-crossing stars are having on the country’s art scene. The growth of global interest in recent years can be traced to musical icons-turned-patrons such as G-Dragon and BTS’s band leader, RM, whose passion for collecting has moved young people toward fine art. After completing his military service last June, RM is back to growing his collection (and performing); a single post from his Instagram account can ensure that a museum show in Seoul sells out.
That kind of K-power does not go unnoticed. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is presenting RM’s personal collection in October, with the show including works by modern masters, such as Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun and Kim Yun Shin. The National Museum of Korea (NMK) in Seoul was a traditional and staid museum until its embrace of popular Korean culture, which transformed it into the third most-visited museum in the world, trailing only the Louvre and the Vatican Museums. Blackpink’s members – Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa – recorded multilingual audio guides for its galleries, while NMK’s grey façade and grand plaza were illuminated in hot pink for the group’s latest EP. The museum mania went into overdrive with the release of K-pop Demon Hunters merchandise; fans queued from dawn to buy limited-edition collaborations from the institution’s gift shop.
Say what you will about these pop-culture crossovers but they are injecting plenty of fresh energy and buzz into Seoul’s already well-established museum and gallery scene.
However, it was the arrival of industry heavyweights, including blue-chip international institutions from Centre Pompidou to the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as Frieze art fair in 2022, that truly transformed the South Korean capital into a must-visit destination for art professionals. Choi Soo, director of gallery PS21, says that she now spends more time in Seoul to meet with visiting collectors and improve her shows instead of hopping fairs worldwide. Homegrown prospects are looking hopeful as well: the country’s art dealers are expecting serious buyers with patronage to emerge from the surge of young collectors seeking quick investment.
Korean art’s global momentum continues this October with Korea, a major showcase at the British Museum. The exhibition, which features works from the collection of late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee and NMK, spans 2,000 years of Korean artistic history, including famous celadon ceramics, ink paintings and the works of Suh Do-ho. NMK director Yoo Hong-jun has talked about fans of K-culture going beyond pop music and film to uncover the country’s history. If Korea can pull off a smash hit without the influence of G-Dragon, RM and Blackpink, then K-art will have truly made it on the world’s stage.
