aespa's wide-ranging Seoul arts exhibition celebrates release of 'Lemonade'

Girl group aespa will open an exhibition in Seoul on Saturday in light of its new album “Lemonade,” its agency SM Entertainment said Friday.

Set to run through June 28, “Complæxity ‘be inspired’ Exhibition” features works by contemporary artists who have each interpreted aespa's fictional universe — a sci-fi narrative where the members exist simultaneously in the real world and a virtual dimension called Kwangya — in their own style, on the fourth floor of “Shindoshi,” located on Euljiro in Jung District, central Seoul.

Featured artists are MELTMIRROR, a game developer and video producer who directed aespa's “Whiplash” (2024) music video; creative Seoul-based dessert and visual art studio CONFETTI.YARD; jewelry brand SAEMINIUM; audiovisual artist collective eobchae; illustrator and graphic designer Kim Ju-hui; EDM musician Keith Rankin; illustrator and photographer Shikishima Kuon; and model Ibuki Sakai.

Poet Kim Hae-sol, local fabric design brand and studio PUFFYBOOKCLUB and design brand and online shop tirorisoft also contributed to the exhibition's storytelling content, said SM.

aespa released “Lemonade,” the group's second full-length album, on May 29.

The girl group debuted with its first digital single, “Black Mamba,” under SM Entertainment in 2020. The quartet, comprising members Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning, is best known for hit songs such as “Next Level” (2021), “Spicy” (2023), “Drama” (2024), “Supernova” (2024) and “Rich Man” (2025).

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]