K-pop group Big Bang turn to art to broaden their appeal, a growing trend among singers and actors
- Jim Carrey, Bob Dylan and Edison Chen are just some of the stars of music and film to have branched out by holding art exhibitions
- A Chinese company is helping pop stars to dive into the art world. Could Kanye West and Lady Gaga be next?
When Hong Kong singer-actor Edison Chen Koon-hei staged a solo exhibition at the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing early in 2018, critics questioned whether visitors were actually there to see his art.
Paying little attention to the artworks on display, people were seen either buying Chen’s limited edition merchandise or catching a glimpse of the disgraced star – Chen was embroiled in one of the biggest sex scandals in the history of Hong Kong entertainment industry in 2008 – in the flesh, inside a glass enclosure. The performance installation explored the pressures of living under constant public scrutiny.
Is that art? Perhaps. Chen isn’t alone: an increasing number of pop stars are staging exhibitions to market themselves to fans and the wider public. K-pop band Big Bang, for instance, have a show at the Beijing 789 Art Centre.
“Big Bang 10 The Exhibition: A to Z” is to mark the 10th anniversary of the group. While two-thirds of the touring exhibition features paintings, sculptures and installations made by the five members, a third is devoted to photos, video footage, personal fashion collections and other memorabilia that appeal to hard-core fans.
