Exhibits, music, dance, food, film and more: The Korean Wave set to hit Canberra this summer!
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The fact that I’m writing this story on my way to Sydney to see my favourite K-Pop group ATEEZ in concert (in a cinema with other Australian fans) says something about the international impact of South Korean pop culture.
And now its meteoric rise to international prominence will headline the summer blockbuster, Hallyu! The Korean Wave, which will run in Canberra from 12 December 2025 to 10 May 2026.
Developed by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, Hallyu! features megastars of K-pop, K-drama and K-fashion, including the Oscar-winning film Parasite, the hit streaming show Squid Game, and singer and rapper PSY, who took the world by storm with his distinctive 2012 viral dance hit Gangnam Style.
‘The South Korean cultural juggernaut is one of the most influential movements of our time and has been embraced by audiences around the world,” said National Museum director Katherine McMahon.
‘Strap yourselves in for a K-Museum takeover this summer, with a season of “Korean-cool” exhibits, music, dance, food, film – and more!’
Showing exclusively in Australia at the National Museum and for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, Hallyu! takes visitors on a dazzling journey through the world of Korean film, drama, music, TV, fashion, design, beauty, art and fandom.
Featuring 250 objects, costumes and studio props that illustrate the powerhouse behind the biggest and fastest-growing contemporary cultural wave from Asia, the show charts the dramatic transformation of South Korea in the late 20th century.
The exhibition will be complemented by a dynamic program of Korean music, dance and food allowing visitors to the Museum to immerse themselves in the Korean cultural experience.
But in the meantime…
From 4 July to 13 October 2025, Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington will treat visitors to an up close and personal encounter with beloved puppet Mr Squiggle, the Man from the Moon, who starred in the ABC TV show bearing his name between 1959 and 1999.
Considered Australian children’s TV royalty, Mr Squiggle beamed into our homes for 40 years, delighting and inspiring generations of Australian children to draw, with his distinctive pencil for a nose, charming banter and ability to turn a simple squiggle into a masterpiece.
The free exhibition, which will also include iconic characters Blackboard, Rocket, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail, will explore the history of the famous television characters and the magic of one of Australia’s most original and creative minds.
The exhibition is drawn from the Norman Hetherington collection of more than 800 objects, including puppets, artworks, scripts, costumes, props and sets, which was acquired by the National Museum in 2024.
Born in 1921, Norman Hetherington was the mastermind behind the hit TV show and is one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Australian cultural life, with a career spanning more than six decades, across puppetry, cartooning, art and performance.
‘We can’t wait to share this exhibition with parents and grandparents who grew up with Mr Squiggle and allow them to reconnect with their childhoods, and to bring along the next generation to experience Norman Hetherington’s particular whimsy, humour and magic,’ said Ms McMahon.
‘The show celebrates one of the most original and creative minds our country has produced,’ said Ms McMahon.
