Provocative Take on Korean Traditional Music: Sangjaru’s ‘The End of Gugak?’
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Sangjaru’s concert ‘The End of Gugak?’ (April 17–18, Insadong Court) posed a sharp, ironic question about whether gugak (Korean traditional music) is disappearing or simply shifting form. Using an entire building as a stage—from a basement exhibition that frames the question to performances across floors and the rooftop—the trio blended traditional performance, creative gugak, techno, and jazz to erase boundaries between performers and audience. Formed in 2014, Sangjaru (whose name evokes a ‘bag in a box’ concept of keeping a traditional frame but varying the contents) features composers and players who rework gugak’s rhythms and language through contemporary sensibilities. Critics called the show less a pessimistic ‘death’ declaration and more a provocative inquiry into how gugak can live and transform as a contemporary artistic language, reflecting the intense creativity and individuality of younger (MZ generation) musicians.
