The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the Korean Government have opened Korea: Cubically Imagined in New York City.
Korea: Cubically Imagined will be on view in New York, NY from May 2 to 14 and subsequently in Washington, DC from May 27 to June 9, following its successful world tours in Paris, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Beijing in 2021.
The exhibition features a range of experiences within 15 installations – including BTS’ performances, the film set of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, as well as digital design studio Design Silverfish’s augmented reality (AR) installation inspired by Korean folklore and the city life of Seoul, among others – proposing new cultural narratives that transcend boundaries between past and future, tradition and innovation.
The exhibition’s various immersive environments invite visitors to explore highlights from Korean pop culture across art and design, music, film, and more through digital technologies including AR, virtual reality (VR), projection mapping, the Metaverse, and other interactive media.
Jo Hyun-rae, president of KOCCA, said “We are thrilled to introduce Korean creative content to audiences in New York and Washington, DC. We hope the exhibition will be an opportunity for visitors to have a unique experience with groundbreaking works by Korean creatives that are powered by new technologies. KOCCA will continue to support creative minds for diverse content creation and build a mutual network for future collaboration.”
The exhibition includes extended reality (XR) experiences of BTS performing Dope and DNA from the group’s online concert ‘Map of the Soul ON:E’ in 2020. With VR head gear and ‘Unreal Engine’ 3D technology, visitors can experience the performance as if present on site. Scenes from director Bong Joon-ho’s film Parasite will unfold in a multisensory VR environment with hidden metaphors from the film, while the National Museum of Korea will present Royal Procession and with the People and Climbing Mt Geumgang through projection mapping, showcasing historic scenes and the natural landscapes of the Joseon Dynasty (17th–19th century).
Design Silverfish will bring together three AR experiences based on Korean folklore stories of ‘household gods’, bustling scenes of city life in Seoul, and the vibrance of Cheongsachorong, traditional Korean lanterns.
Korea: Cubically Imagined will also feature digital design innovator d’strict, whose projection mapping media art reimagines nature into digital landscapes; ROOMTONE, a media artist collective specialising in VR and immersive games, who will present a surreal VR narrative about human and artificial intelligence; new media production company EASYWITH’s reinterpretation of two historical landscape paintings from the Joseon Dynasty into digital artwork; and a multimedia sound performance by Tacit Group based on Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Visual artists YeSeung Lee and Yiyun Kang will each present works that draw heavily from contemporary Korean culture to explore the interplay between art, technology, and experience.