“Such brilliant storytelling”: Internet unravels IU’s ‘Love Wins All’ ft. V MV highlighting subtle allusions to a Christian Boltanski's installation

On Tuesday, January 23, IU released her much-awaited music video for Love Wins All, featuring BTS member V. Following its release, fans flooded social media platforms with possible theories and meanings behind the events that unfolded in the music video.

What caught the eye of most viewers was the dominating pile of clothes at the center of the narrative. It was implied that these are the garments worn by individuals captured by the cube-shaped machine pursuing both IU and V.

The clothes of IU and Taehyung's characters were also eventually added to this pile. Naturally, fans began to decode what this haunting visual signified, with many referring to an installation by Christian Boltanski's called No Man's Land as a possible inspiration.

The artwork, as per fan theories, communicated the act of embracing the inevitable and finding a sense of optimism in the same. Therefore, the clothing, which symbolizes humans who've passed away, rests in the mountain of the eternal afterlife, which is the pile of clothing. Following this revelation, fans have fallen more in love with the music video and its narration.

---

Fans stunned at the incredible parallel between IU recent MV and Christian Boltanski's installation

IU's music video for her latest track, Love Wins All, featuring Taehyung, has already created quite a buzz on the internet within just a few hours after its release. The music video showcases two characters in an apocalyptic setting who seem to be running away from a cube-shaped machine that annihilates humans.

As the two characters run away and escape into an imaginary dream-like land, they're hit with the reality of the events that await them. When the pile of clothes is shown in the initial scenes of the music video, viewers aren't entirely focused on its existence. But as IU and Taehyung's characters are elevated and taken up the cube, their clothes fall and add to the pile of clothing, revealing the narrative function of this pile.

Fans were immediately able to draw parallels between this concept and an art installation created by Christian Boltanski. The famous French sculptor and photographer was known for his several thought-provoking works, including his 2010 installation titled No Man's Land. The large-scale installation, which showcased a huge pile of clothing with a crane at the pile's tip, demonstrated the lives of humans.

The crane, as per the creator, refers to the hands of God. As humans leave the earth, their souls, in the form of clothes, stay behind and rest in the eternal afterlife, which is the mountain of clothes. Boltanski also explained that his artwork aimed to demonstrate a positive mindset toward the inevitable death. He stated,

"When the clothes are falling down, it’s very optimistic. Like souls, they are free."

He, therefore, aimed to communicate a more optimistic and liberating perspective on death and how embracing the same can bring comfort and freedom. A similar essence can be felt in IU and Taehyung's Love Wins All music video. The two characters are seen boldly and freely letting the cube take them away, and their clothes, the wedding dresses, elegantly become one with the pile.

---

Following the same, fans couldn't help but appreciate the impressive storytelling quality of the music video and its detailed narratives that communicate deeper meanings.