Jeju Museum of Art held the '4th Jeju Biennale Seoul Press Conference' on November 9 at the Seoul Museum of Art's Sema Hall. Lee Jong-hoo, director of the Jeju Museum of Art, who serves as the biennale's general director, unveiled the major artworks of the biennale, which opens on November 26, to the media for the first time.

The theme of this year's Jeju Biennale, “The Drift of Apagi: The Way of Water, Wind, and Stars,” is ‘drift.’ It examines the way drift interacts with perception in the journey of civilization and interprets it from an artistic perspective. It examines contemporary issues such as civilization, the environment, migration, and refugees, and explores new alternative communities.

At the press conference, works by Indonesian artist Agus Nur Amal and Thai artist Jakrawal Nilthamrong were unveiled.

Agus' work, Tritangtu (2022), is a video piece that captures a mystical story centered around a well in a traditional agricultural community in West Java, Indonesia. This work was previously introduced to an international audience at one of the world's most prestigious art events, Kassel Documenta fifteen (2022).

At the 2024 4th Jeju Biennale, this piece will be newly reinterpreted, blending Jeju’s mythology and traditions, especially rituals like Yeongdeunggut and Well Worship, into a unique object theater performance workshop. And the biennale will exhibit the results alongside Tritangtu.

The second major work to be unveiled at the Jeju Biennale during the press conference is a video piece by Thai artist Jakrawal Nilthamrong. Jakrawal's work, Rhizome (2023), tells the story of a man living on a raft with a sick woman in a simulated world made of water. The video begins in the microcosmic realm of fungi and guides the audience through a mythological narrative (a milking cow) to a civilization on an artificial island drifting across the ocean.

Notably, Thai artist Jakrawal Nilthamrong has received the Tiger Award at the 44th Rotterdam International Film Festival (2015) and the Grand Prize at the 22nd Tokyo FILMeX (2021). He also participated in the 2014 Seoul Mediacity Biennale.

Yang Kura's artistic process was also revealed. Creating installations from marine debris that washed ashore in South Korea and washed up on the Tsushima Island, Yang Kura's work raises awareness of human-centered ecological and environmental issues and offers reflections on a sustainable future.

References

• 제주도립미술관 보도자료 (Jeju Museum of Art Press Release)
• 제주비엔날레 (Jeju Bieannale)