I still remember the flurry of excitement that ran through our group chat when BTS announced that they were doing a collab with James Jean. It was 2021, we were still trapped in the middle of a pandemic that wouldn't go away, and there was no way we'd be able to go all the way to Seoul to visit the Seven Phases exhibit at HYBE INSIGHT. The closest we could get to it was through the magic of pasabuy from a friend of a friend, who was on a mission to get Seven Phases merch for us. 

As a visual artist myself, I just had to have the Seven Phases posters and postcards. James Jean is a huge influence to me after all and owning physical copies of his work that I could possibly hang in my home one day was something I really wanted.

It's been two years since Seven Phases came to life and it's now come back into the waking world with a touring exhibition across continents. From June to July, it was in Frankfurt, Germany. Now for its second stop, it's actually here in Manila, and we were invited to check it out for ourselves at SM Megamall on day one. 

After entering the walkway where you learn James Jean's story, you'll step inside a room where sketches and studies of what would become Moonchild, Narcissus, Meowtide, Solaria, Champignon, Violane, Cottontail, and The Garden adorn the blackened walls. Seeing each piece in pencil and reading some of James Jean's thoughts as he sketched them wasn't something I thought I'd ever get to see in person. Even without the colours—just the line art alone— you'd catch your jaw dropping as you stare at the work. 

The next section of the exhibit is the shaped wooden totems of Seven Phases. I recognize these from the sticker and pin set our Editorial Director, Camille Castillo, bought when we did that pasabuy order back in 2021. At this point, I already feel myself tearing up. Everything is beautiful. There are so many details you don't get to appreciate as much when you just look at a piece from a computer screen. This is the real deal. It's clean but also layered in drips and splatters that bring more character to the work. It's shiny and glossy, but isn't overpowering. You can just stand and stare in wonder, and you're not even at the main part of the exhibit yet.

Then there it is in all its glory—The Garden. With an acoustic version of 'Dynamite' playing in the background, I allow myself to take in every detail of the massive painting collectively featuring each member of BTS through the eyes of James Jean, who took inspiration from the BTS song 'The Truth Untold' for this 12-foot masterpiece. 

I would've taken a photo of every inch of that painting (we weren't allowed to take photos at the time) just to remember every detail of it. It's absolutely stunning; you'll notice something different in every angle you look at it from and you can only imagine the effort it took to materialize this piece. Everything from the delicately lined flowers down to the intricately embossed background will leave you with countless thoughts as you interpret the concept for yourself. 

Following The Garden are the individual portraits of Moonchild, Narcissus, Meowtide, Solaria, Champignon, Violane, and Cottontail, each painting depicting the personalities of BTS. They all shine differently through vibrant colours, expressing the unique characteristics of each member through every brush stroke.

Moonchild, the painting that represents RM depicts the rapper as a winged creature beneath a crescent moon (I probably spent the most time staring at this piece). It's not as busy as the other paintings, but it certainly draws you in.

Narcissus represents Jin a.k.a World Wide Handsome surrounded by flowers (personally, this one is my favourite out of the portraits). James Jean captures the ethereal characteristics of Jimin among mushrooms with Champignon. He depicts j-hope as a sun god on a horse, being the sunshine of the group, in Solaria.

I had to catch my breath when I finally saw Suga's portrait, Meowtide, in real life. I'd attempted to draw my own version of it back in 2021 and seeing it in person made me wish for smoother handling of a brush. James Jean's take on V with Violane gives off a strong and youthful energy, while Jungkook from his point of view is surrounded by rabbits in a muted red and blue fantasy world in Cottontail.

I wish we had more time to view the exhibition, because half an hour per entry just isn't enough time to absorb everything, especially if you're a huge BTS fan.

After the Seven Phases part of the exhibition, fans will also get to lay their eyes on the actual 'Mic Drop', 'Butter', 'Permission to Dance' outfits BTS wore at shows as well as the coloured wireless microphones and in-ear monitors they perform with onstage. The following room is packed with all kinds of BTS memorabilia, from their records designed by the group, customized sneakers, magazine covers, and awards and plaques from the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

To end the exhibit is a black room where ARMY are invited to write messages on the walls for BTS. Unfortunately, the merch store is a little underwhelming; they didn't have the Seven Phases merch I was hoping to get. They do have previously released collections, including TinyTAN, that fans can still score while the exhibit is still up.

Frankly, you don't have to be a BTS fan to appreciate Seven Phases. You just need to have an open heart and a fascination for fantastic pathways that will lead you to a peaceful garden of blossoms.

 

 

 

 

 

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HYBE INSIGHT's BTS x James Jean Seven Phases exhibition in Manila runs from 28 October to 3 December and will carry on to Science Centre Singapore from 16 December to 25 February. Get your tickets here.