Trot music gets the contemporary art treatment

An unusual exhibition is drawing attention by inviting visitors to experience trot music — long familiar from television and concert halls — as a subject of artistic inquiry inside a museum.

The Ulsan Art Museum, in partnership with the Asia Culture Center Foundation, is hosting "Fan Letter," an exhibition that examines trot music through the lens of contemporary art, in Gallery 2 from Thursday through Sept. 27. The show frames trot not as a relic of nostalgia but as a living culture that bridges generations, aiming to resonate with younger audiences accustomed to visual experiences.

Trot is a popular music genre that took shape in the early 20th century from a blend of Korean traditional music, Japanese enka and Western influences. It evolved alongside industrialization and urbanization, absorbing the everyday joys and sorrows of ordinary people. The genre has enjoyed a renewed surge in popularity in recent years, driven by the success of televised talent competition programs.

Eleven artist teams contribute to the exhibition, using video, kinetic installation and interactive works to explore how music reflects the times and society that produce it.

A new work by artist Gu Ji-eun also draws the eye, weaving together the story of Ulsan's industrialization and the migration narratives bound up with it. Through an installation that reconstructs imagery of company housing complexes from the industrial era alongside noraebang signage, she visualizes the accumulated memories and emotional lives of the migrant workers who shaped the city.