FAR EAST ASIA

IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE
REPRESENTATION OF PRIVATSAMMLUNG MH

ARTWORKS FROM THE COLLECTION WILL BE INCLUDED IN
“HALLYU ! THE KOREAN WAVE” EXHIBITION AT
MUSEUM RIETBERG ZÜRICH.

“HALLYU” WILL RUN FROM 4. APRIL- 17. AUGUST, 2025

SAEKDONG BY DARCYGOM © JIHOON JUNG COURTESY DARCYGOM

FROM TRADITION TO TRENDSETTING

TODAY, SOUTH KOREA IS A CULTURAL SUPERPOWER—A GLOBAL TRENDSETTER PRODUCING AWARD-WINNING FILMS LIKE PARASITE, RIVETING DRAMAS LIKE SQUID GAME, AND CHART-TOPPING MUSIC BY K-POP GROUPS SUCH AS BTS AND BLACKPINK. BUT BEHIND THE COUNTRY’S METEORIC RISE TO THE WORLD STAGE—A PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE KOREAN WAVE, OR HALLYU—IS THE STORY OF REMARKABLE RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION.

JUST A CENTURY AGO, KOREA WAS IN SEARCH OF A NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY, FOLLOWING ITS OCCUPATION BY JAPAN AND THE KOREAN WAR. HARNESSING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY, THE COUNTRY HAS RAPIDLY TRANSFORMED ITS ECONOMY AND INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION. AT THE SAME TIME, ITS CREATIVE OUTPUTS ARE DEEPLY ROOTED IN ITS PAST, WITH MANY CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, FILMMAKERS, MUSICIANS, AND FASHION DESIGNERS PAYING TRIBUTE TO TRADITIONAL VALUES AND ART FORMS DATING BACK TO KOREA’S DYNASTIC KINGDOM DAYS.

“HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE” FEATURES APPROXIMATELY 250 OBJECTS—COSTUMES, PROPS, PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOS, POP CULTURE EPHEMERA, AND CONTEMPORARY WORKS. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE OUTFITS WORN BY DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF K-POP IDOLS, DRESSES BY COUTURE DESIGNER PARK SOHEE AND NEXT IN FASHION WINNER MINJU KIM, A LARGE-SCALE NEEDLEWORK DESIGNED BY SOUTH KOREAN ARTIST KYUNGAH HAM AND MADE BY ANONYMOUS EMBROIDERERS FROM NORTH KOREA, AND PIECES EXPLORING THE KOREAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE BY TIMOTHY HYUNSOO LEE AND JULIA KWON. ADDITIONALLY, THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASES OBJECTS FROM THE MFA’S OWN RENOWNED COLLECTION OF KOREAN ART, INCLUDING THE ICONIC MOON JAR AND HANBOK.

(INTRODUCTION: HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE” MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON)