by Bruce Sylvester / Troubadour
A few years ago in the wake of the Korean War, South Korea was known as a land of rubble and poverty. But not any more as it’s emerged as an epicenter of pop culture – music, dance, film, fashion. The Museum of Fine Arts is hosting Hallyu! The Korean Wave, whose 250 or so items show the nation’s move to flashy, fun modernity – often reflecting consumer culture’s globalization, but occasionally showing Korea’s forward-looking art incorporating elements of its cultural tradition, like an elaborate recently created suit of armor whose inspiration from bygone centuries may have been meant for show rather than function.
Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is the first American stop for this show curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. We see photos, videos, fashion items, costumes, and even the recreation of a room in Oscar-winning Korean film Parasite, which, frankly, could have been set in this country just as well as in Korea. It’s a global world now, with K-pop music and dance cresting a wave of popularity. We see the pink suit jacket PSY wore in the video of his hit “Gangnam Style,” the first YouTube video ever to get a billion views.
For interactivity, we can learn K-pop dance steps.
Some of the photography deals with the Korean immigrant experience in America. Another shot features a huge array of pink consumer items. South Korea reportedly leads the world in cosmetics exports.
Maybe it’s realistic for one large exhibit to resemble a very high-end clothing store for well-heeled, adventuresome young people.
Sure, the show’s fun, and, in some ways, it’s social commentary. But mostly it’s fun. HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE is at the Museum of Fine Arts through July 28.
