The Grammy Museum will soon launch its first full-floor K-pop exhibit as part of its ongoing initiative to explore the music, culture, technology, fandom and business behind Korean pop music.
The museum partnered with Hybe, the South Korean entertainment company behind K-pop sensation BTS and countless other international acts, and its archivists, to provide attendees with an in-depth look at the company’s roster and the ways in which they’ve evolved the K-pop landscape.
“Hybe: We Believe in Music, A Grammy Museum Exhibit” runs from Aug. 2 to Sept. 15 at the museum in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo: AP
The artifacts in the 4,000-square-foot exhibit have never been displayed before in a museum — with the exception of a few BTS wardrobe and costume items. The pieces represent 78 K-pop stars, known as idols, and include outfits worn in well-known concept photos and music videos like BTS’s Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment), SEVENTEEN’s Maestro, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Sugar Rush Ride and the Gen Z K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM’s Easy.
Hybe’s junior groups, known as rookie teams, will also be represented: BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, &TEAM, ILLIT and more.
Three books from Big Hit Entertainment founder Hitman Bang’s personal collection are included: Korean-language copies of Hermann Hesse’s Demian: The Story of Boyhood, which inspired BTS’ 2016 album, Wings; Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, which informed their Love Yourself series; and Jung’s Map of the Soul by Murray Stein, which lead to their Map of the Soul series. Big Hit Entertainment became Hybe in 2021.
“This is going to be one of the largest exhibits the museum’s ever curated,” Grammy Museum President and CEO Michael Sticka told The Associated Press. “They’ll take over the entire third floor of the museum.”
BIG IMPACT
He says the exhibit celebrates the major music company’s role in K-pop. “Hybe in particular, their impact on really the world of music is indisputable,” he says.
“The goal from the beginning was to shine a light on the innovation of the company, like in the technology arena, in the music business beyond the world of K-pop,” Grammy Museum curator Kelsey Goelz says.
Beyond the artifacts, the exhibit promises interactive experiences, such as a “random dance play” in the museum’s rotunda, where attendees can sing and dance to music from Hybe acts, and a Photoism booth, where they can pose for photos alongside their favorite acts. “We’re even going to have a little fan area where fans can express what K-pop means to them, how they came about it and, like, leave their mark on the exhibit,” Goelz says. “This is the biggest and most in-depth K-pop exhibit we have ever done.”
INTERACTIVE
There is also a permanent “Mono to Immersive” interactive, where Grammy performances are remixed to demonstrate the evolution of recording technology, says Sticka. This time around, they’ve incorporated BTS’s 2022 Grammys performance of their hit “Butter,” which will allow attendees to watch the performance and experience what it would sound like to listen to it using 1920s technology and so on, up to the modern day.
Hybe COO Tae-Ho Kim says he hopes the exhibit will appeal to K-pop and Hybe superfans, those who are curious about the music and excited to learn more. He says his company aims to introduce Hybe to visitors, as well as showcase “the journey that we have taken in the global music industry and the global market.”
“I hope this exhibit will be a great chance for our rookie teams — the new teams, new artists — to be introduced to the American music fans,” he added. “This can be a very good momentum for their entrance into the American music market.”
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
RSS