G-Dragon elevated to art?

AMID HIGH anticipation and scepticism, a collaborative art exhibition with G-Dragon opened Tuesday at the Seoul Museum of Art, presenting some 200 artworks reflecting the world of the young K-pop idol.
The exhibition is the first mega collaboration between a Korean celebrity and contemporary art in Korea. The exhibition, co-organised by YG Entertainment and the Seoul Museum of Art, commissioned 14 teams of artists to create collaborative pieces with G-Dragon.
Even before the opening, it emerged as a hot issue, drawing both high expectations from fans and concerns and doubts from the Korean art circle.
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 fall. Universal Everything, the U.K.-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 artist group says he is aware of the risk that comes with this project, but notes that collaborations are important in the field of art.
“We have seen many collaborations between pop artists and contemporary artists in Europe since 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,” Lee says.