Gwangju Bank Hosts the 6th 'Gwangju Hwaru Contest'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Gwangju Bank is hosting the 6th Gwangju Hwaryu Contest.

Gwangju Bank's representative cultural project, the Korean Painting Contest "Gwangju Hwaryu," is the largest nationwide contest exclusively for Korean painting artists. Applications will be accepted through the Gwangju Hwaryu website starting from the 8th, and the final winners will be announced in May.

This contest will select one Grand Prize winner, one Excellence Award winner, and three Merit Award winners through a three-stage evaluation process: "application document screening → individual artwork review → in-depth interview."

The Grand Prize winner will receive a prize of 30 million KRW and sponsorship to hold a solo exhibition, the Excellence Award winner will receive 20 million KRW, and each Merit Award winner will receive 10 million KRW.

Song Jong-wook, President of Gwangju Bank, said, "Even during the harsh times of the COVID-19 pandemic, 'K-culture' and 'K-content' captivated the world, demonstrating the powerful communicative strength of culture. Gwangju Bank wants to communicate closely with local residents and customers through Korean painting, a cultural asset representing the uniqueness and identity of our heritage."

He added, "We will continue valuable sponsorship activities so that 'Gwangju, the City of Arts,' can grow into a cultural city embracing the advancement of modern Korean painting, and we will strive to revitalize various cultural projects that local residents can enjoy together."

"Gwangju Hwaryu" is a cultural event promoted by Gwangju Bank, embodying the hope that Gwangju becomes a "fortress" preserving the tradition and lineage of Korean painting.

Since 2016, it has taken the first step as a Korean painting contest targeting artists nationwide. Any Korean painting artist can participate, and by applying a single-judge system throughout the evaluation process, it has been praised as a representative contest specialized in the Korean painting field, serving as a passionate platform where everyone competes and exchanges through their artwork.

In particular, with its low barriers and open operation, it has attracted young artists nationwide, becoming a barometer to observe trends among young artists in the Korean painting community.

Additionally, the works of artists produced by the Gwangju Hwaryu Contest are exhibited in the "Gwangju Hwaryu 10 Artists Exhibition" at the National Asian Culture Complex, allowing anyone to view them for free, reaching out to local residents and customers.

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, exhibitions have been postponed since the 4th contest, but there are plans to resume exhibitions considering the COVID-19 circumstances in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.