G-Dragon presents ‘Space 8’ art exhibition

In commemoration of the release of his second solo album “Coup d’Etat” and his first solo world tour, Big Bang leader G-Dragon is holding a weeklong art exhibition at the Cais Gallery in Seoul, from Sept. 10-17.

Entitled “Space 8,” which opened exactly eight days after the release of “Coup d’Etat,” the exhibition represents what the artist believes is his lucky number, the number 8. Because G-Dragon was born on Aug. 8, 1988, he has always had a special attachment to the number.

“There has been no specific episode involving me and the number 8 per se,” said G-Dragon at a press conference held on Monday. “I just really like the number.” 

The artist is showcasing exactly 88 items related to the number 8. The exhibition includes photographs as well as various stage outfits and props from G-Dragon’s “One of a Kind” World Tour, which wrapped up with two closing concert performances on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

“I wanted to be able to give my fans the opportunity to see firsthand some of the previously unpublished photos as well as other items that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to see,” he said.

On Sept. 2, G-Dragon released his highly-anticipated comeback solo album, which he produced and wrote himself. The 12-track album, which topped seven iTunes charts across the world upon its release, came more than four years after the artist’s debut solo album “Heartbreaker.”

“While I was self-producing the album, I kept thinking to myself, ‘What kind of image do I want to show,’” said the rapper. “I thought about what gestures I would use on stage, my facial expressions, style.”

One of the lead tracks on the artist’s album is “Niliria,” which features American female rap icon Missy Elliot. The artist, along with his agency YG Entertainment, went to great lengths to persuade the rap star to be a part of G-Dragon’s latest album.

“For personal reasons, Missy Elliot has been taking a break from the music scene, so I was pretty nervous about asking her to be a feature. However, in the end everything turned out great,” said G-Dragon. “A little while ago I was able to go to the U.S. and she performed on stage with me and it was such an honor. ... I learned a lot.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)