On Saturday, February 10, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles celebrated a night of art, music, and community with the grand opening of “Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s.” The exhibition, running until May 12, 2024, features more than 80 pieces spanning mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and film. It captures the essence of a generation of artists grappling with South Korea’s rapid urbanization, modernization, and evolving socioeconomic, political, and material landscape in the decades following the Korean War.
“We are tremendously excited to bring this exhibition to Los Angeles—a city with deep connections to Korean culture and home to the largest population of Korean descendants in the nation,” said Ann Philbin, Director of the Hammer Museum. “The artists featured in this exhibition represent a particularly important and compelling era within the recent history of Korean art and add greater dimension to the study of art made around the world in the last 60 years.”
As some attendees immersed themselves in the exhibition, others buzzed with anticipation in the Hammer Museum’s courtyard for the upcoming musical performances. Presented by CJ ENM, the outdoor concert featured show-stopping performances by Korean dance crew PROWDMON and Korean hip-hop musical duo Dynamicduo.
Led by Monika, PROWDMON gained international recognition following their participation in CJ ENM’s dance competition series, “Street Woman Fighter.” PROWDMON immediately captivated the audience with their precision-sharp choreography and synchronization as they opened up with one of their most popular choreography from the show — a swag-filled routine to CL’s “Doctor Pepper” and “Hello Bitches.” Although the full dance crew was not present, Monika, Lip J, Minz, and Kayday brought their A-game and made the stage their domain with their swagger and strong stage presence. They followed suit with a surprise K-Pop dance medley to aespa’s “Next Level,” NewJeans’ “OMG,” and LE SSERAFIM’s “Eve Psyche And The Bluebeard’s Wife.” PROWDMON had the entire crowd bouncing and singing along to some of K-Pop’s most beloved girl group tracks. They wrapped up their dynamic performances with “RUN RUN” where each member showed off their distinct dance styles during their dance solos.
PROWDMON’s high-energy performance set the stage for Dynamicduo, whose career spanning over twenty years made them long-standing, respected figures in the Korean hip-hop scene. The crowd went wild as Gaeko and Choiza made their entrance, accompanied by actor Lee Byung-Hun’s opening narration from 2 Kids On The Block, the duo’s retrospective album chronicling their evolution on their journey from childhood to hip-hop icons. It perfectly set the tone for their stage as they effortlessly segued into back-to-back chart-toppers. From hits such as “AEAO” and “Go Back” to “Ring My Bell” from their debut album Taxi Driver, the rappers had the crowd engaged and chanting along to every word. At one point, Gaeko said he felt like he was back in Korea and scrapped his prepared English for their talk segments, deeming it unnecessary.
The highlight of the night came when PROWDMON joined Dynamicduo on stage for the viral hit, “Smoke.” The joint performance sent the crowd into a frenzy as hundreds of phones were high in the air, hoping to capture the full performance on video. The choreography, created by Bada Lee, quickly gained global traction online last year and sparked the beloved “Smoke Challenge” on social media.
Dynamciduo and PROWDMON wrapped up with an encore performance of Dynamicduo’s “Fireworks.” The headbanger amped up the crowd one last time as the dancers and rappers worked for the crowd, grabbing fans’ phones to take selfies and film videos of their fellow performers. The performance came to an exhilarating end and fans dispersed throughout the museum, many still buzzing with excitement as they explored the “Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s” pieces.
Those wishing to see the exhibition can stop by the Hammer Museum on Tuesdays to Sundays from 11AM-6PM. Admission is free to the public and no reservations are necessary. More information on the exhibit can be found here.
LOVE YOUR WORKS! Thank you for uploading Hammer’s K-pop night event with CJ, featuring Dynamicduo & PROWDMON!