Pat here. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco had the perfect exhibit for Kdrama lovers. That would be me, and I’m so glad I got to see it.
This show traces the trajectory of post-war Korea to the current Hallyu craze of KDramas, KCinema, KPop, KFashion, and KBeauty. It discusses the inclusion of shamanistic and Confucian rituals in modern day Korean society. How many times have we watched a Kdrama and there is a shaman in it or the traditional rituals of some aspect of Confucianism are included? I’d say lots!
The exhibit focuses on the late 1990’s to the current day, and it’s a delight for any Kdrama or Kpop fan. One of the most interesting facts I learned was the emphasis on webtoons. Did I know that they were developed solely as a digital cartoon for mobile phones? In a word, no. They have been an excellent source of inspiration for Kdramas.
The most humbling moment for me was my attempt at learning some of the dance moves with a back-up dancer for PSY and Suga from BTS. This was a very short tutorial where I had to follow the dancer and be videotaped. I could choose trainee, rookie, or advanced level. I could barely master the trainee category! The embarrassing video was then projected on a wall with everyone else who did the taping. Boy, did I feel like a Kdrama Gmama when I saw the finished product.
We all know Kdramas have had a world wide impact. Hey, that’s one of the reasons we write this blog. We’re hooked!
(Do you think this is a silhouette of Pat dancing? Vote Now to win fabulous all-expense paid trip to Korea.)
It would be so great if that exhibit would travel to one of the museums here!