In recent years, Korean culture has been on a meteoric rise worldwide, whether in the form of music, TV shows, films, fashion and more — it’s a phenomenon known as “The Korean Wave,” or “Hallyu,” in its native Korean. It might not take long for many to think of examples of South Korean culture going mainstream — from viral K-pop music video sensation “Gangnam Style” by artist Psy, life-or-death drama “Squid Game” on Netflix, or 2020 Best Picture winner “Parasite” at the Oscars, to name a few. One exhibit, currently halfway through its run — it closes July 28 — at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA), seeks to encapsulate the country’s catapulting pop culture ascent featuring about 250 authentic items, artworks and memorabilia from cultural touchstones in Korean history.
At “ Hallyu! The Korean Wave ,” curator Christina Yu Yu, chair of Asian Arts at the MFA, seeks to tell the broader story of how South Korea became the economic and cultural powerhouse the world knows it as today. For its curator, it’s a story of how the country drew on its cultural and historical legacy coupled with its constant reinvention and innovation, to create something wholly Korean, yet influenced and shaped by both Western and Eastern forces around it. “There’s this continuation of this culture, of this value system,” Yu Yu said.
“So I think it’s very important to present here basically just to show that the phenomenon of ‘Hallyu’ did not come out of.
