National Asia Culture Center 10th Anniversary Exhibition 'Letters from Enthusiasts' Opens on the 22nd

Reinterpreting Urban Life in Trot Through Media Art

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 17th that the exhibition "Aficionado Letters," commemorating the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Gwangju National Asia Culture Center (ACC), will open on the 22nd.

"Aficionado Letters" is an exhibition that reinterprets the life, landscapes, and sensations of the city as expressed in trot music through media art. It will be held at ACC Complex Exhibition Hall 2 until August 24. The opening ceremony will take place on the 21st.

Starting with "Aficionado Letters," ACC will host various exhibitions and performances commemorating its 10th anniversary through the end of the year.

In April, the citizen-participatory media art exhibition "ACC Future Sports Day" and the "ACC Regional Artists Invitational Exhibition - Lee Inam's Landscape Theater" will open, followed by the repertory performance "I Was Not in Gwangju" in May. In October, the media pansori play Heungboga "Swallow's Journey," and in November, the stories of three Asian directors in the "Asian Directors Trilogy" will continue performances through December. Also in October, a special exhibition organized by the ACC Asia Culture Museum, "The Next Steppe: Winds of the Grassland," will open. All 10th anniversary exhibitions and performances are free to attend, and detailed information can be found on the ACC website.

The National Asian Culture Complex located on the site of the former Jeonnam Provincial Office in Gwangju. Photo by Heo Young-han

The first exhibition, "Aficionado Letters," features 13 teams of artists from five countries?Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and Canada?presenting a total of 14 works divided into two themes. The first theme, "Trot and Urban Soundscapes," explores the urban life reflected in trot, a genre of popular music that has been loved for over a century and fully embodies Korean identity. The second theme, "Asia’s Ppongjjak Crossing Borders," examines cultures connected to Asian popular music that share similar emotions and forms with trot. Through works expressed using various technologies and media such as kinetic art installations, interactive videos, and robots, the exhibition affectionately observes and comforts the rugged and arduous lives of city dwellers.

Two archive exhibitions related to the works are also held concurrently. "ACC Archive: Asia’s Popular Music Collection" introduces songs from four Asian countries?Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam?that share similar emotions and forms with trot, collected by ACC. "The History and Evolution of Trot Seen Through Oasis Records" is an exhibition prepared in collaboration with Oasis Records, the longest-standing record label in Korea, showcasing trot records and related materials owned by Oasis Records. Early contracts of famous trot singers such as Joo Hyunmi and Kim Yeonja, as well as censorship documents from the 1970s, are on display.

At the opening ceremony on the 21st, participating artists Meiwadenki and Dr. Lee will perform the celebratory show "Mecha Trot" in the central hall of Complex Exhibition Hall 2. On May 4-5, the Nanjang Gakseori "Odongpal" and techno Gakseori "DJ Sissi" will perform "Came Again Without Dying."

Kim Sangwook, Acting Director of ACC, said, "We aim to get closer to visitors through trot, a familiar genre now loved across generations," adding, "We hope visitors enjoy trot and Asia’s ppongjjak reinterpreted in various forms and contents through this exhibition."