The 13th Gwangju Biennale Reveals Full Artist List
By Emika Suzuki
Exterior view of the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall. Courtesy the Gwangju Biennale Foundation.
The 13th Gwangju Biennale, titled “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning,” has released the full list of participating artists on November 18, and has confirmed that it will proceed as scheduled from February 26 to May 9, 2021.
Led by co-artistic directors Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, the forthcoming edition investigates multifarious forms of intelligence and life-systems, alongside their struggle against the invasive forces of capitalism, violence, and imperialism. The new press release has revealed that an emphasis will be placed on the ritualism of Korean shamanism and female shamans’ healing of illnesses and resisting against patriarchal violence. In accordance, the Biennale will partner with historical collections, such as London’s Wellcome Collection, to exhibit paintings and manuscripts that examine the cultural histories of how issues of life and death have been addressed over time.
Various venues have also been announced. The Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall and the Gwangju National Museum will exhibit artworks relating to shamanism and death, such as works by painter Min Joung-Ki, photographer Gap-Chul Lee, interdisciplinary artists Moon Kyungwon and Sangdon Kim, as well as newly commissioned installations, performances, and paintings by Theo Eshetu, Trajal Harrell, Gala Porras-Kim, and Cecilia Vicuña. Gwangju Theater will showcase installations that pry into technologies used in fever scanning and ghost hunting.
Among the commissioned works, the Biennale will present online installations and performances by Ana Prvački, Kira Nova, and nasa4nasa, exploring the themes of individual and collective expression and protocols of intimacy. The Biennale is also producing texts and runnning a series of lectures, “GB Talks | Rising to the Surface: Practicing Solidarity Futures,” which looks at people’s resistance against oppression, from September to January 2021.
The Biennale was originally slated to run from September 4 to November 29, 2020, and was postponed in May due to Covid-19 concerns.
The full list of participating artists is as follows:
∞OS (Dmitry Paranyushkin and Koo Des) (Russia)
Pacita Abad (Philippines)
Korakrit Arunanondchai (Thailand)
Katarina Barruk (Sweden)
Farid Belkahia (Morocco)
Cecilia Bengolea (Argentina)
Seyni Awa Camara (Senegal)
Quishile Charan & Esha Pillay (aka The Bad Fiji Gyals) (Fiji)
Yin-Ju Chen & Li-Chun Lin (Taiwan)
Ali Cherri (Lebanon)
Hyun-Taek Cho (South Korea)
Vaginal Davis (United States)
Cian Dayrit (Philippines)
Emo de Medeiros (Benin)
Patricia Domínguez (Chile)
Theo Eshetu (United Kingdom)
Gerard Fortuné (Haiti)
John Gerrard (Ireland)
Sonia Gomes (Brazil)
Trajal Harrell (US)
Femke Herregraven (Netherlands)
Lynn Hershman Leeson (US)
Tishan Hsu (US)
Gözde Ilkin (Turkey)
Jeong Kwan (South Korea)
Jumaadi (Indonesia, Australia)
Karrabing Film Collective (Australia)
Sangdon Kim (South Korea)
Sylbee Kim (South Korea)
Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (Indonesia)
Kwak Duck-Jun (South Korea)
Gap-Chul Lee (South Korea)
Kangseung Lee (South Korea)
Sangho Lee (South Korea)
Liliane Lijn (US)
Candice Lin (US)
Vivian Lynn (New Zealand)
Abu Bakarr Mansaray (Sierra Leone)
Angela Melitopoulos (Germany)
Ana María Millán (Colombia)
Min Joung-Ki (South Korea)
Ad Minoliti (Argentina)
Moon Kyungwon (South Korea)
MOON & JEON (South Korea)
Siyabonga Mthembu (South Africa)
nasa4nasa (Egypt)
Pedro Neves Marques (Portugal)
Kira Nova (US)
Fernando Palma Rodríguez (Mexico)
People’s Archive of Rural India – PARI (India)
Rajni Perera (Sri Lanka)
Outi Pieski (Finland)
Angelo Plessa (Greece)
Gala Porras-Kim (Colombia, South Korea)
Ana Prvački (Serbia)
Judy Radul (Canada)
Sahej Rahal (India)
Zofia Rydet (Poland)
Jacolby Satterwhite (US)
Arpita Singh (India)
Tcheu Siong (Laos)
Chrysanne Stathacos (US, Canada)
Alexandra Sukhareva (Russia)
Shannon Te Ao (New Zealand)
Sissel Tolaas (Norway)
Cecilia Vicuña (Chile)
Ouattara Watts (US)
Shen Xin (China, UK)
Tuguldur Yondonjamts (Mongolia)
Emika Suzuki is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.
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