BEYOND THE SCENE, YIYUN KANG 2020
projection mapping installation, cube room, mirrored floor, sound, 9;30",
documentation camera Chunjin ParkJangho Kim, edited by Yiyun Kang
ABOUT THE GLOBAL ART PROJECT

CONNECT, BTS LONDON | BERLIN | BUENOS AIRES | SEOUL | NEW YORK
presented by DAEHYUNG LEE, artsic director of CONNECT, BTS
CONNECT, BTS Press Conference at the Serpentine Gallery. London, 14 Jan, 2020
CONNECT, BTS | SEOUL
CONNECT, BTS | SEOUL
CONNECT, BTS | Special Collaboration
BEYOND THE SCENE | YIYUN KANG
Yiyun Kang
Artist statement on BEYOND THE SCENE
2020
In this global project, my piece is distinctive to other presented works in that it directly reacts to BTS. As the only Korean artist participating in CONNECT, BTS, my position cannot be neutral. Watching the septet grow as a ground-breaking cultural figure is truly touching regardless of how much I like them or not. The way that BTS transformed the almost Anglo American-centred ecosystem of the pop industry is the unprecedented achievement of its adventure. As an Asian artist who lives and works in London, I became so much wondered what has caused this phenomenon. Then I realised the symbiotic relationship between BTS and ARMY, the ‘one of a kind’ fandom.
Not to mention BTS’ music and performance, the co-existence with ARMY is the game-changer for the band’s smashing success. Throughout the developmental process, I've talked to several ARMYs based in London of all different ages, genders, and ethnicities as part of my research. And I could identify that their dedication is deeply rooted in the band’s message that addresses the embracing stories that are relatable to many people around the world. Collectively, the message extends its influence in a rhizomatic way on a global scale. This hyper-connected structure that generates positive energy lies at the heart of BTS’ singularity.
To me, this phenomenon seems even more meaningful under this particular time and space where the current scenes, such as political, financial, environmental, social and racial scenes seem to reach the breaking point. We need to work together to go beyond the current scenes to be connected again, to make the world more inclusive and sustainable. Therefore, I decided to title my work as Beyond the Scene, which is also an extended identity of the band.
Reflecting this, I created an immersive audio-visual environment. Space is wrapped by large-scale projections that show the traces of human movements, inspired by BTS’ choreography. It thus looks rather anonymous and abstract. At the same time, the movements shape forms together to completes the space, just like the seven boys build BTS together with the support of ARMY. These imageries are then mixed with digital animations and opening up an imaginative dimension as if they expand beyond the external facade. There is no such boundary in this environment. Viewers can navigate between physical and virtual, surface and depth, material and immaterial. As a result, my work illustrates how BTS and ARMY pushed the boundaries to move beyond the existing scenes. And more importantly, it questions what this phenomenon means to us at this very present.
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CONNECT, BTS | SEOUL
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CONNECT, BTS Press Conference at the DDP, Seoul. 28 Jan, 2020
CONNECT, BTS SEOUL Press Conference at DDP. Seoul, 28 Jan, 2020
CREDIT
BEYOND THE SCENE
Projetion mapping installation, 4 projections, 8 x 8 x 4 m, mirrored floor cube room 9' 30", sound, 2020
Moving Image / Sound Design: YIYUN KANG
CONNECT, BTS | LONDON BERLIN BUENOS AIRES SEOUL YEW YORK
Artistic director DAEHYUNG LEE
CONNECT, BTS | SEOUL
Curated by DAEHYUNG LEE
Performance part credit:
Choreography CHANG HO SHIN
Stage TAEYANG LEE
Camera
JANGHO KIM
JIN SUNG JUNG
Documentation Camera
CHUNJIN PARK
Light
JAEPIL JEONG
JONG GEUN YUN
Performer
BYUNGCHAN LEE
DOOHYUN ZO
INWOONG RYU
JI WAN JUNG
MIN SEO KIM
SEOK HYUN KIM
SUNG HYUN HONG
Research Contributors
ASHLEY HACKWORTH
CHUNYOUNG YANG
EMMA KANYAKAMIN
IRENE CAJARAVILLE SOUTO
LASHAI BEN SALMI
NILZA ANIBAL
NNEKA ANYIMUKWU
BEYOND THE SCENE |
Performance MAKING PROCESS
SELECTED PRESS/COVER
BTS and the Birth of K-pop Art , Financial Times, Emma Jacobs and James Pickford
BTS art project includes balloons and scribbles , BBC News, Mark Savage
A K-Pop Boy Band Is Launching a Wildly Ambitious Public Art Project in Five Cities Across the World , Artnet News, Naomi Rea
Connect, BTS: Global Project Merges Music And Visual Art , Artlyst
7명의 몸짓을 예술로… 현대미술이 BTS라는 물길을 만났다, 조선일보, 정상혁 기자
DDP, 아미들의 성지되나..'커넥트 BTS' 서울 전시 28일 개막, 중앙일보, 이은주 기자
'Connect, BTS'의 실체는 이것,현대미술과 손잡은 방탄소년단, 중앙일보, 문소영 기자
현대미술과 손 잡은 BTS, 조선일보, 정상혁 기자
THE NEW DIMENTION: 강이연 작가는 방탄소년단을 문화이자 새로운 현상으로 보고 삼차원 세계를 창조했다, Dazed Korea, Text Yang Boyeon, Photography Noh Seungyoon
CONNECT,BTS에 참여한 유일한 한국 작가, 강이연: 현대미술과 방탄소년단(BTS)이 만났다. 커미션? 서포트? 브랜드 콜라주? 이 낯선 협업을 우리는 어떻게 받아들여야 할까?,
Harper's Bazaar Korea, 손안나 에디터
"BTS에게 영감 받았어요"…현대 미술과 손잡은 K팝 스타들, TV 조선,구민성 기자
현대미술과 만났다..."BTS라 가능한 컬래버", YTN, 김혜은 기자
BTS 예술이 되다... '커넥트, BTS'서울전 개막, 연합뉴스