“On Every Island is a Mountain” Poster Image ©Arts Council Korea
The Arts Council of Korea (ARKO) has announced plans to publish an archival book, “The Last Pavilion,” which will compile information and materials related to the Korean Pavilion, in advance of the opening of the 30th anniversary special exhibition “Every Island is a Mountain” (Palazzo Malta – Ordine di Malta, April 19-September 8), as well as an academic conference on the achievements and prospects of international exchange at the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
The exhibition, organized by the Arts Council Korea’s ARKO Art Center in collaboration with specialized curators for each part, is part of a series of initiatives to design a new vision for the Korea Pavilion on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Last year, a roundtable was held to discuss archival materials related to the construction of the Korea Pavilion and issues related to the expansion and renovation project, followed by a public hearing to discuss the role and operational strategy of the Korea Pavilion’s operator, Arts Council Korea.
On March 30, an academic conference titled “Biennale Sustainability and the Internationalization of Korean Art” was held at the Artist House in collaboration with the Association of Korean Modern & Contemporary Art History, and was attended by 90 people, with research presentations and discussions by art historians, architects, and archivists. Focusing on the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and regional biennials at home and abroad, which were born in the 1990s amidst the wave of globalization, the participants reviewed the process of internationalization of Korean art and proposed a new paradigm for transnational solidarity and communication in the post-pandemic era, while discussing future challenges for the Korean Pavilion by focusing on architectural spaces and archives.
Conference for celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale ©Arts Council Korea
An archive book (in Korean and English) containing information and materials related to the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale will be published in time for the opening of the exhibition. The publication, which is also linked to the archival exhibition “On Every Island is a Mountain,” will be published in e-book (PDF) format and posted online. The publication will include a chronology outlining the history of the Korean Pavilion, information and textual and image materials from each exhibition, retrospectives on the construction of the Korean Pavilion by co-designers Franco Mancuso and Seok Chul Kim, an analysis of the role and vision of Nam June Paik, known as the leading role of establishing the Korean Pavilion, by Young-chul Lee, an analysis of the curatorship of the Korean Pavilion’s exhibitions in relation to the main exhibition by KIM Honghee, and a text of the evolution of the Korean Pavilion’s operations by Kyung Yoon Ho.
Officially opening on April 19 at the Palazzo Malta – Ordine di Malta in Venice, “On Every Island is a Mountain” showcases the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Korean art through the work of 36 Korean Pavilion artists, including 10 works first shown in previous Korean Pavilion exhibitions since 1995 and 10 new works created for the exhibition.
