Gwangju Biennale
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The Gwangju Biennale, which started in September of 1995 in the city of Gwangju in the South Jeolla province of South Korea, was Asia's first contemporary art biennale. The purpose of Gwangju Biennale is globalization of art and it respect diversity rather than uniformity. More than 500 artists and performers from 60 countries, and a modest contingent of foreign curators and critics descended on this provincial capital, whose 1.3 million citizens had virtually no prior exposure to international contemporary art.
Until the Biennale, Kwangju's claim to fame lay in its having been the scene of the Kwangju democratic uprising of students protesting his military regime (see Gwangju Massacre). Since then the city has symbolised the country's pro-democracy resistance, a movement with special poignancy in light of the political situation that divides the peninsula. The mayor hopes the Biennale will serve "to clarify misconceptions regarding the history of Kwangju...a city of light that uses art to brighten the dark reality of Korean separation."
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[edit] History
- 1st 1995.09.20_11.20 Beyond the Borders
- 2nd 1997.09.01_11.27 Unmapping the Earth
- 3rd 2000.03.29_06.07 Man and Space
- 4th 2002.03.29_06.29 Pause
- 5th 2004.09.10_11.13 A drop of water A grain of Dust
- 6th 2006.09.08_11.11 Fever Variations
[edit] 1st Beyond the Borders(1995.09.20_11.20)
At first Biennale 660 artists from 58countries participated and 817 artcrafts were exhibited. The theme "Beyond the Borders" is combining of all kind of things that have the characters of distinction and indifference such as ideology, nations, religions, races, cultures, arts, and 'post' festival, that is, 'post' rhetoric. Especially many innovative young artists participated.
The exhibition composed of six sections by regions.
1. West Europe and East Europe
2. North America
3. South America
4. Asia
5. The Middle East and Africa
6. Korea and Oceania
[edit] 2nd Unmapping the Earth(1997.09.01_11.27)
The main idea of second Gwangju Biennale is similar to the first biennale's theme and it is developed to overcome National Borders and the prejudice of center-periphery. The theme, "Unmapping the Earth", is from the Korean concept "Yeobaik" which means literally "empty space" - a fundamental motif of Korean art.
The exhibition were composed of five parts : Speed, Space, Hybrid, Power and Becoming.
[edit] 3rd Man and Space(2000.03.29_06.07)
The theme was "to put mankind in its civilization development at the center of the exhibition and to inquire about the human conditions in the past, present, and future." The main exhibit sections were divided by regions.
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