SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Amid high anticipation and skepticism, a collaborative art exhibition with G-Dragon opened yesterday at the Seoul Museum of Art, presenting some 200 artworks reflecting the world of the young K-pop idol.
The exhibition, co-organised with G-Dragon's agency YG Entertainment, is the first mega collaboration involving a Korean celebrity and contemporary art in Korea.
It is to tour Shanghai and Singapore after it ends its run in Seoul on Aug 23.
Some 14 teams of artists were commissioned to create collaborative pieces with G-Dragon, a member of K-pop supergroup BigBang.
Even before the opening, the exhibition, entitled PEACEMINUSONE: Beyond The Stage, has drawn both high expectations from fans and concerns and doubts from the Korean art circle.
For fans, the exhibition is a chance to know more about their idol outside the performance stage. The first part of the exhibition, called (Non) Fiction Museum and created by G-Dragon and artist group Fabrikr, looks at the pop star's inspiration and interest in art through his art and furniture collections as well as the objects and accessories he designed.
[G-DRAGON - 'PEACEMINUSONE' TRAILER]날짜 (Date) : June 9th ~ August 23rd, 2015장소 (Place) : 서울시립미술관 서소문 본관 2, 3층 (Seoul Museum of Art)Tickets on sale @NAVER : http://m.booking.naver.com/#/5/booking/svc/2011Interpark : http://ticket.interpark.com/Ticket/Goods/GoodsInfo.asp?GoodsCode=150058… out more @Naver modoo! : http://peaceminusone.modoo.at/Facebook : http://facebook.com/GD.PEACEMINUSONEInstagram : https://instagram.com/GD.PEACEMINUSONE#GDRAGON #GD #PEACEMINUSONE #PEACEMINUSONE_SEOUL #GDXCONTEMPORARYARTISTS #GDEXHIBITION
Posted by G-DRAGON on Sunday, 7 June 2015
On display are works of noted artists such as the Alexander Calder sculpture Black Elephant and a neon installation by Tracey Emin.
G-Dragon was not pretentious in explaining his art collection.
"I don't really have a guideline for the collection," he said. "I just have this fantasy over aesthetics. I like to watch something beautiful whether they are clothes, women or music."
But, within the Korean art circle, there were doubts and criticism over the museum's decision to host an event that intends to promote the K-pop idol musician via sophisticated presentations by local artists. Some artists expressed concerns that the participating artists and their ideas were overshadowed by G-Dragon's popularity.
The director of the museum, Kim Hong Hee, refuted the concerns at a news conference on Monday.
"The museum is not for art elitists. It should embrace diverse audiences. This exhibition is part of our effort to invite a wide range of audiences to the museum," said Kim.
The exhibition was initiated by YG Entertainment, which is seeking to expand its businesses into areas such as fashion and beauty. It is considered a smart strategy to enhance the image of the agency's artists for future business opportunities.
Artists, selected through recommendations from YG and the museum, present various artworks - from paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations to media works - under G-Dragon's musical vision of "Peace Minus One". The singer coined the phrase to describe the world he sees - the utopian world and the real world with shortcomings or "minus".
Many artworks on display reflect this vision. Artist duo group Bang & Lee said they met G-Dragon six times to exchange and share ideas, and came up with the media installation themed "revolution" from G-Dragon's song Coup d'etat.
The photos of artist Park Hyung Geun also reflects the world seen by G-Dragon through the musical vision. His photos, Landscape Of PEACEMINUSONE - A Voyage With G-Dragon, feature upside-down landscape - a gap between the utopian world and the reality seen by G-Dragon.
Not all artworks are commissioned. Sophie Clements presents her 2012 video work How We Fall that explores a moment of change through the fast-forward images of cement falling. Universal Everything, the British-based digital art group, brought one of their earlier works, Supreme Believers, featuring a dancer's movement dispersed into particles.
Lee Yun Joon of Bang & Lee said he is aware of the risk that comes with this project, but noted that collaborations are important in the field of art.
"We have seen many collaborations between pop artists and contemporary artists in Europe for more than a decade. People look at this exhibition with a great interest, but I think it's because it is held for the first time in Korea. This is not the final product, but the start of dynamic collaborations between pop music and contemporary art," said Lee.
