On January 31, Arts Council Korea held a joint press conference on the Korean art exhibitions to be held during the 60th Venice Biennale. A total of seven institutions, foundations, galleries, and organizations jointly participated in the press conference, starting with the announcement of the plans for the 30th anniversary special exhibition of the Korean Pavilion by the ARKO Art Center, which is affiliated with the Arts Council Korea, followed by the announcement of the plans for the four parallel exhibitions officially selected by the Venice Biennale Foundation (Gwangju Biennale, Yoo Youngkuk Art Foundation, Korean Research Institute of Contemporary Art, and Hansol Cultural Foundation) and the two exhibitions to be held in Venice (Gallery Hyundai and Nine Dragon Heads). This is the first time that the public and private organizations have jointly announced exhibition plans.

The Venice Biennale, one of the world’s leading platforms for contemporary art, has been held biennially since its inception in 1895 and is celebrating its 60th edition this year. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Choung Byoung Gug, Chairperson of Arts Council Korea, said, “This year’s Venice Biennale will be a place where international attention will be focused on Korean art more than ever before,” and “It is meaningful to have the opportunity to introduce and promote Korean artists by bringing together the public and private organizations.”

Celebrating the opening of the Korean Pavilion in 1995 ©Arts Council Korea

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion, the Arts Council Korea is organizing a special exhibition, “Every Island is a Mountain,” at Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta in Venice, which brings together the individual works of 30 artists (teams) who have participated in the Korean Pavilion since 1995, from early works to new works.

Four exhibitions selected as official parallel exhibitions to the 2024 Venice Biennale will also be on view in Venice during the main exhibition. First, Gwangju Biennale, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, will present “Madang – Where We Become Us,” a special exhibition of the Gwangju Biennale’s 30th anniversary archives in Venice that recalls its 30-year history, examines the spirit of Gwangju, and envisions the future of a sustainable human community.

And Yoo Youngkuk Art Foundation presents “A Journey to the Infinite: YOO YOUNGKUK,” a special exhibition of oil paintings, prints, drawings, and archival materials by Yoo Youngkuk, a first-generation Korean modernist and pioneer of Korean abstract art, including works from the 1960s and 70s, a period when the artist was immersed in nature, especially the mountains.

Korean Research Institute of Contemporary Art will also present “Seundja Rhee: Towards the Antipodes,” a solo exhibition by Seundja Rhee, considered a pioneer of Korean abstract art, featuring more than 20 works by the artist, who rooted the concept of “yin and yang,” an Eastern philosophical worldview, throughout her 60-year career. Hansol Cultural Foundation, in collaboration with the Wilmotte Foundation, will present Lee Bae’s solo exhibition “LA MAISON DE LA LUNE BRÛLÉE,” which will showcase the artist’s homage to and exploration of one of Korea’s traditional rituals, the burning a house of moon.

In addition, Gallery Hyundai, which has presented representative works by masters of Korean contemporary experimental art such as Seung-taek Lee (2017), Lee Kang-So (2019), and Lee Kun-Yong (2022) during the Venice Biennale, will present a solo exhibition of Shin Sung Hy (1948-2009) this year, focusing on his sewing-canvas series couturage (1993-97) and knotting-canvas series nouage (1997-2009). In addition, Nine Dragon Heads, a multinational artist community that has conducted various on-site collaborative projects in Korea and internationally, will hold an exhibition and conference on the theme of “Nomadic Party” during the Venice Biennale.

References

• 한국문화예술위원회(Arts Council Korea)