12th Gwangju Biennale Announces Full List Of Participating Artists And New Programs

On March 28, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced the full list of participating artists for their 12th edition, slated to open in September 2018. Under the title “Imagined Borders,” the biennale will showcase the works of 153 artists from 41 countries, spread across a series of seven independently curated thematic exhibitions. The 2018 edition will see the inclusion of the largest number of Asian artists to date, with more than half of the participants coming from the region.

In addition to the main event, the biennale will launch two new programs: The Pavilion Project, which is a series of satellite exhibitions mounted by cultural institutions such as Palais de Tokyo, Helsinki International Artist Programme and Philippine Contemporary Art Network at historically significant locations across the city; and the GB Commission, which invites four international contemporary artists—Argentinian sculptor Adrián Villar Rojas, British installation artist Mike Nelson, French-Algerian multidisciplinary artist Kader Attia and Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul—to create site-specific installations that respond to the history and spirit of Gwangju.

“Imagined Borders” references 1995’s inaugural Gwangju Biennale—which was titled “Beyond the Borders”—as well as the late political scientist and historian Benedict Anderson’s theory of citizenship and national identity, expounded in his 1983 book Imagined Communities. The biennale will open on September 7, 2018, and run until November 11 across various locations in the city, including the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, the Asia Culture Center and historical sites.

Here is the full list of curators and participating artists:

Curator: Clara Kim

27 Artists: Pio Abad (Philippines), Leonor Antunes (Portugal), Alexander Apostol (Venezuela), Alexandre Arrechea (Cuba), Marwa Arsanios (USA), Kader Attia (France/Algeria), Yto Barrada (France), Louidgi Beltrame (France), Los Carpinteros (Cuba), Shezad Dawood (UK), Alia Farid (Kuwait), Angela Ferreira (Mozambique), Carlos Garaicoa (Cuba), Tanya Goel (India), Terence Gower (Canada), Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola), Lais Myrrha (Brazil), Damián Ortega (Mexico), Ram Rahman (India), Marwan Rechmaoui (Lebanon), Mauro Restiffe (Brazil), Lawrence Sumulong (USA), Seo Hyun-Suk (South Korea), Amie Siegel (USA), Maria Taniguchi (Philippines), Clarissa Tossin (Brazil), Ala Younis (Kuwait)

Curator: Gridthiya Gaweewong

20 Artists: Tiffany Chung (Vietnam), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand), Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore), Rushdi Anwar (Iraq), Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (Myanmar), Shilpa Gupta (India), Jun Yang (China), Dinh Q. Lê (Vietnam), StudioRevolt: Anida Yoeu Ali and Masahiro Sugano (Cambodia), Chia-Wei Hsu (Taiwan), Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thailand), I-na Phuyuthanon (Thailand), Chris Chong Chan Fui (Malaysia), Kader Attia (France/Algeria), Nipan Oranniwesna (Thailand), Tom Nicholson (Australia), Agnieszka Kalinowska (Poland), Rafal Milach (Poland), Piyarat Piyapongwiwat (Thailand), Munem Wasif (Bangladesh)

Curators: Christine Y. Kim and Rita Gonzalez

16 Artists: Ho Rui An (Singapore), Lara Baladi (Lebanon), Zach Blas (USA), Alexey Buldakov (Russia), Shu Lea Cheang (Taiwan), Simon Denny (New Zealand), Sunwoo Hoon (South Korea), Stanya, Kahn (USA), Ayoung Kim (South Korea), Heecheon Kim (South Korea), Trevor Paglen (USA), Mark Lotfy (Egypt), Kirill Savchenkov (Russia), Martine Syms (USA), Julia Weist (USA) and Nestor Siré (Cuba), Miao Ying (China)

Curators: Yeon Shim Chung and Yeewan Koon

23 Artists: Tara Donovan (USA), Francis Alÿs (Belgium), Byron Kim (USA), Hyangro Yoon (South Korea), Shilpa Gupta (India), Hasan M. Elahi (Bangladesh), Sarah Abu Abdallah (Saudi Arabia), Aernout Mik (Netherlands), Shitamichi Motoyuki (Japan), Minjung Kim (South Korea), Kcho (Cuba), Nina Chanel Abney (USA), Paolo Cirio (Italia), Inci Eviner (Turkey), Luke Ching (Hong Kong), Yoan Capote (Cuba), Ezra Wube (Ethiopia), Chen Wei (China), Yoshitomo Nara (Japan), Simon Leung (Hong Kong), Xiyadie (China), Seung Woo Back (South Korea), Joongho Yum (South Korea)

Curators: Man Seok Kim, Sung-woo Kim and Chong-Ok Paek

10 Artists: Kyung Hwa Kim (South Korea), Se Hee Park (South Korea), Hwa Yeon Park (South Korea), Jeong A Bang (South Korea), Jae Kyu Byun (South Korea), Mong Joo Son (South Korea), Ok Hyun An (South Korea), Sang Hee Yeo (South Korea), You Seung Jeong (South Korea), Hyungseop Cho (South Korea)

Curator: Sung-woo Kim

14 Artists: Suki Seokyeong Kang (South Korea), Yongju Kwon (South Korea), Daum Kim (South Korea), RohwaJeong (South Korea), Seonhee Moon (South Korea), Hyunjoo Heaven Baek (South Korea), Jung Ju An (South Korea), Yongseok Oh (South Korea), Okin Collective (South Korea), Jeongsu Woo (South Korea), Woosung Lee (South Korea), Heeseung Chung (South Korea), Kichang Choi (South Korea), Daejin Choi (South Korea)

Curator: Chong-Ok Paek

8 Artists: Dongho Kang (South Korea), Sunghong Min (South Korea), Sang Hwa Park (South Korea), Iljeung Park (South Korea), Yun Kyoung So (South Korea), Se-young Youn (South Korea), Jeonglok Lee (South Korea), Chanboo Jung (South Korea)

Curator: BG Muhn

31 North Korean Artists: Choe Chang Ho, Hong Myong Chol, So Kwang Chol, Kim Hyok Chol, Kim Il Kyong, Im Hyok, Ko Yong Gun, Ro Yu Dam, Kim Song Ho, Ri Jin Myong, Han Kwang Nam, Kim Nam Hun, Kang Yu Song, Kang Yun Hyok, Yun Gun, Wang Kwang Guk, Nam Song Il, Jong Byol, Kim Hyun Uk, Baek Il Kwang, Rim Ju Song, Choe Yu Song, Kim Dong Hwan, Ri Chol, Kim Song Gun, Kim In Sok, Kim Chol, Cha Yong Ho, Ri Ki Song, Ri Jae Hyon, Jong Yong Man

Curator: David Teh

6 Artists: Tom Nicholson (Australia), Agatha Goethe-Snape (Australia), Wrong Solo (Agatha Gothe-Snape and Brian Fuata) (New Zealand), Ella Sutherland (New Zealand), Koh Nuang How (Singapore), Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore)

GB Commission

4 Artists: Adrián Villar Rojas (Argentina), Mike Nelson (UK), Kader Attia (France/Algeria), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)

Julee WJ Chung is the assistant editor of ArtAsiaPacific.

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