[HYBE INSIGHT MUSEUM] Seven Phases Art by James Jean : a discourse on flower spirits. (2024)

The 2007 mural creator of the Prada Epicenter stores in NY and LA, James Jean collaborated with Hybe Insight Museum and created artworks of BTS in the dreamy world of fantasy by adding his own narrative to the side of life with his inner eyes.

at first let’s talk about James Jean’s art style; cuz every artist has their distinct styles.

James Jean fuses contemporary subjects with aesthetic techniques inspired by traditional Chinese scroll paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, and Renaissance portraiture. By experimenting with different styles and art-historical genres, Jean depicts detailed cosmological worlds that focus on both individual and universal experiences.Layered with imagery drawn from both contemporary culture and age-old allegories, the artist imagines a collective realm of mythological proportions.

Flowers bring a touch of eternity, joy and beauty which lie beyond the sorrows and cares of the human world. Now, apart from the colour, fragrance, beauty of form and texture of a flower, there is something more: an aspiration, an emanation, an aspect, a psychic giving, wordless prayers of nature and a progress in the evolution of the Earth. All these attributes together form the spiritual significance of a flower. A conscious and intimate relationship with flowers can give an experience of communion with the divine and awakens the true consiousness in us.

“Flowers speak a beautiful timeless language, each having an ancient and spiritual meaning conveying massages beyond the spoken word.” ㅡ The Mother of Nature.

How do you sense flowers? Smelling, right? The sense of smell is probably by far the most emotional sense that human beings possess. All sorts of scents could posses a spiritual dimension, which we’ll be discussing here!

Spiritual scents might be a message from deceased loved ones who want to guide us from the other side or who have certain unsettled business and could not pass into the afterlife. Spiritual scents are very often associated with messages from our guardian angels. These divine and mysterious entities watch over us, even if we are completely unaware of that, spiritualists say. You might know, Guardian angels often send us various messages and we could actually recognize them, if we pay a little bit more attention; for example, repeating numbers, same incidents, these are usually indicators of angelic presence in our life.

Angels want us to know we are not alone and that we will never be alone, even if we feel so, at times. Flower scents that have no obvious origin, meaning you can smell it, but there are no flowers around you, are commonly associated with angelic intervention. Guardian angels always want you to feel safe, so they send you pleasant, calming scents, such as those of flowers.

KIM NAMJOON (Moonchild RM) ㅡ the Guardian of the Night.

Did you see that crescent moon at the top of the canvas? That refers to “night/moon". The child is sitting under the moonlight, namjoon’s dragon eyes are also on show zoomed in his wings. He is the symbol of “guardian angel" who is assigned to protect and guide a particular group (방탄소년단, being their leader). Namjoon being their guardian angel always want to remind them of the importance of love, to relax and surrender to their feelings, because they are good. In the upcoming discourse, you’ll notice how all the seven phases has only one mid-point; the Guardian Angel, Kim Namjoon.

KIM SEOKJIN (Narcissus Jin) ㅡ the Fundamental Beauty.

Beautiful narcissus is one of a very symbolical flowers. Y’all probably know about the ancient Greek myth about a beautiful young man who was in love with his own beauty, so much that it cost him his life as a human being. Narcissus flower is indeed beautiful and it smells very nice. Does this art & myth remind you of someone and a particular picture?

Kim Seokjin, yes- and this picture in particular. The smell of narcissus flowers with the white yellow ones around could have two meanings. On one side, narcissus symbolizes hidden talents and business success, so the presence of this scent could be a sign of positive outcome in professional area, like a sign from your guardian angels trying to make you realize what talents you posses that you are unaware of.

On the other hand, it could be a reminder. It is a spiritual message, a reminder of the story of too proud and self-obsessed young man Narcissus from Greek mythology. The message is intended to remind you that you should value yourself, but never to the point that you hurt others’ feelings and neglect those around you. And the most abundant message Seokjin gives to us is value ourselves, but also to makes sure, we don’t get self-obsessed and love people around us.

MIN YOONGI (Meowtide SUGA) ㅡ the strength of courage and challenges.

Your Guardian Angel wants to tell you how worthy you are and that you should value yourself more. It should also remind you of all those qualities in the world around you, in people that surround you. The presence of tidal waves and the ocean creatures shows Yoongi’s strength of courage.

“The tide teaches us to live with mystery and complexity,” he tells us. “It lives in the body of a mudshrimp, signaling when to swim and when to burrow. It lives in sandpipers, crabs, and whelks. The tide is vibration, music, time.” ㅡ Jonathan White.

The key to Yoongi’s puzzle of ‘meowtide' is the attractive force of the moon i.e “gravity.”

“The idea of a ghostly force spreading its fingers across vast distances was so unscientific,” says White, “that most natural philosophers wanted nothing to do with it. In a world yearning for mechanistic answers, gravity seemed a regression to the occult of antiquity.”

This was a challenge for Newton to prove “gravitational force" whose reference is used as the spirit flower of Min Yoongi, who is always prepared for any challenge and has the strength to fight against any storm.

JUNG HOSEOK (Solaria j-hope) ㅡ the source of light.

The name “Solaria” is ofLatin originand means Light derived from the latin term 'sol' meaning 'sun’. The purple horse is the symbol of “iris". The purple iris has always been associated with divine powers, with mysterious forces. It also represents special connection between heaven and earth. Hobi is a sign of divine guidance. It means there are divine and noble forces that watch upon you and want you to become the person you have great potentials to be.

In the book, “The World of SOLARIA”,Raphaël Dajafée wanted to share with us his vision of a future full of harmony and happiness, far from all the alarmist and apocalyptic predictions. That is itself portrayed in this artwork with j-hope being the only source of “light" cuz we all know he is the “sunshine" of BTS.

PARK JIMIN (Champignon Jimin) ㅡ the beginning of vitality.

Champignon have a long, ancient history of use amongst traditional hunter-gatherer cultures with a deeply shamanic worldview. Mushrooms do the work of the Underworld. They recycle, they transform and absorb. They grow deep down underground, from the womb of Mother nature. It’s a place of chaos, transformation and often a place of Ancestors and is tied to rebirth and the recycling of everything that has died. It’s often portrayed as a womb or a deep underground cave. In the artwork, you can see Jimin holding so many champignon which unveils him as the “inner force of bangtan". He gives energy and courage to the members behind-the-curtains.

KIM TAEHYUNG (Violante V) ㅡ a mysterious purple jewel.

Violantecomes from Greek and Latin originmeaning"purple flower". Purple stone (Amethyst) are reported to open a person’sthirdeye. The third eye is considered to be a source of power and wisdom. Crystal practitioners believe a person can use amethysts to enhance or sharpen spiritual visions and enlightenment. But, what V has attached on his body is a mysterious purple gem. Purple inspires us to divulge our innermost thoughts. As a result, we gain a more profound understanding of who we are. This level of imagination gives way to spiritual growth and guidance. And V’s solo song “Inner Child" is the evidence that V definitely likes the otherworldly impact that purple has on him.

Also, if you look at the name “Violante" has the mixture of ‘violet’ and ‘vante' which is Taehyung’s photography pseudonym, inspired by his favorite minimalist photographer, Ante Badzim and his favorite artist Vincent Van Gogh. Taehyung likes jazz, and saxophone plays a very important role in that genre, thus saxophone is also present in the art.

JEON JUNGKOOK (Cottontail Jungkook) ㅡ an existence that spreads happiness.

Rabbit (cottontail animal) spiritually deals primarily with abundance, comfort, and vulnerability. The hare also embraces gifts of fertility, sentiment, desire, and procreation. In other words, you have a wealth of creativity right now and should make good use of it.In Jungkook’s demo of “Decalcomania” he shared his vulnerabilities with us and through “Magic Shop" he comforted us. Bunny peopleare quick to succeed and are highly skilled atsuccess. They are also generous in advising people around them. Folks with this power animals essence can instinctively sense what paths lead to danger, and which roads lead to success, which shows the special Namkook bonding (bunny people and their Guardian angel).

If you merge all the sketches of BTS as Flower spirits, you’ll get the Latin expression “solve et coagula”. It is derived from “solve,” meaning to break down and separate, while “coagula” describes the process of bringing elements back together (coagulating) into a new, higher form.
Interestingly,“solve et coagula“is a wonderful psychological metaphor:by pursuing Gold (or listening to our intuitive “higher calling”) we “break down” limiting parts within us that are in the way of our transformation (Philosopher’s Stone) into a free and whole being (coagulation). Yes, I have connected the Seven Phases to Seven Stages of Spiritual Alchemy, but with a psychological take and not scientific.

The Guardian Angel (Namjoon) is the solution to the coagulation (BTS) where all the individual members are responsible for certain positive energies. Just like even without any one member, BTS is incomplete; without any one piece of art, the entire artwork is incomplete.

A massive thanks to James Jean for sharing his artwork and his abstract figuration by blending spirits with Bangtan boys.

These are certainly my interpretation on his piece of art in the Hybe Insight Museum. Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed reading the whole of it.