BTS-themed exhibition showcases Korean heritage at British Museum

This photo provided by BIGHIT Music show special released photo in celebration of BTS 13th anniversary — Courtesy of Big Hit Music

SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - An exhibition featuring K-pop supergroup BTS and their fifth studio album "ARIRANG" opened in London this week in collaboration with The British Museum, their management agency HYBE said on Wednesday.

The exhibition, which runs from Monday through July 23 at the museum's Korea Foundation Gallery, also offers a self-guided trail that takes roughly 20 minutes to complete.

It is part of "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG-LONDON," a citywide program related to the group's two "ARIRANG" tour concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 6 and 7.

The album's link to the museum's holdings starts with something many listeners might miss: track No. 29, which consists of the sound of the Bell of King Seongdeok being struck, followed by more than a minute of silence.

A screenshot of the British Museums official webpage for BTS THE CITY ARIRANG Korea gallery trail — Courtesy of the British Museum

The bell, a National Treasure and the largest surviving bell of its kind in Korea, is not part of the museum's collection, but the gallery holds other objects from the Silla Kingdom, the era in which it was cast.

Two of those objects, a gold earring and roof tiles, anchor the Silla side of the trail. The earring, dated to the fifth century, was made using filigree and granulation techniques that show the sophistication of Korean goldsmithing at the time.

The roof tiles once topped palaces, government offices and Buddhist temples in the Silla capital. None of those buildings survive intact, but the tiles, decorated with lotus flowers and grapevine patterns, remain as traces of the kingdom's architecture and visual culture.

The route also includes a full-scale reconstruction of a sarangbang or scholar's study, from the Joseon dynasty. Built by Korean craftsmen in 2000, it represents the reception room of a 19th-century noble household.

The entrance to the British Museums Korea Foundation Gallery Room 67 with signage for BTS THE CITY ARIRANG LONDON and a QR code directing visitors to the Korea Gallery Trail in London Courtesy of HYBE Entertainment — The entrance to the British Museum's Korea Foundation Gallery in London is seen, in this photo provided by HYBE.

A white porcelain moon jar from the same period is another stop on the trail. The jar was assembled from two separately thrown halves, a form the museum describes as one of Korea's best-known ceramic traditions and a continuing source of inspiration for artists.

Sang-ah Kim, a curator of the museum's Korea exhibition, selected the five objects for the trail, which was developed alongside the exhibition's survey of 2,000 years of creativity on the Korean Peninsula.

Visitors can scan a QR code at the gallery entrance to follow the route. They are also invited to choose one object that resonates with their own life under the prompt "What is Your Arirang?" and share it on social media.

Joonha Yoo

BTS-themed exhibition showcases Korean heritage at British Museum

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