"Realizing Space and Reflecting on Human Issues through Pansori"

Nikola Burio Announced as Artistic Director of the 15th Gwangju Biennale
Gwangju Biennale Opening Next September, Pansori as a Theme
"Explore Space and Enjoy the Biennale Like Watching a Movie"

"We will organize the works so that they can be appreciated like watching a movie, with Pansori that has a narrative structure as the theme."

On the morning of the 26th, at Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, Nicola Burio, the artistic director, is explaining the exhibition theme at the '15th Gwangju Biennale Theme and Direction Announcement Press Conference.' [Photo by Yonhap News]

The 15th Gwangju Biennale, celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, will be held under the theme "Pansori - 21st Century Soundscape."

On the 26th, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced the theme and direction of the 15th Gwangju Biennale, scheduled for September next year, at a press conference. Nicolas Bourriaud, the newly appointed artistic director last month, stated that he intends to realize the theme of space in the form of sound through "Pansori - 21st Century Soundscape."

On that day, he showed a scene from director Im Kwon-taek’s film Seopyeonje (1993), where the protagonist Songhwa pours out her sorrowful voice toward the mountain, explaining that it is an important image for the future exhibition composition.

Director Bourriaud said, "Before being appointed as artistic director, I was looking for an image to explain the concept of space and discovered Pansori," adding, "Through Pansori, I want to explore contemporary space as well as space related to everyone." Starting from Pansori, which has strong regional characteristics, he aspires to lead international communication through the exhibition.

Focusing on the issue of "space," which has become a major topic for humanity after COVID-19, Director Bourriaud said, "Issues such as climate change and housing crises are ultimately problems of space," and added, "Since it is related to human survival, space is an important issue on a global scale and a theme that raises contemporary problems."

He continued, "This concept of space expands from everyday spaces to issues related to feminism and decolonization, and extends to sociopolitical discourses implied by spatial distribution issues such as the need for safe spaces and indigenous reservation zones," emphasizing, "Now is the time for a profound articulation and redefinition of our changed senses and perceptions of space."

On the morning of the 26th, at Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, Park Yang-woo, CEO of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, is giving a greeting at the press conference for the '15th Gwangju Biennale Theme and Direction Announcement.' On the left is Nicola Burio, Artistic Director of the 15th Gwangju Biennale.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

This year’s Biennale organized the main exhibition hall into three sections according to phonological phenomena to realize the changes of space in sound. The section named after the "Larsen effect," which refers to the noise caused when sounds from acoustic devices collide in a narrow space and scratch the ear, deals with the saturated state of the Earth due to various human activities. The "Polyphony" section introduces artists who understand the world through the concept of polyphony, where independent multiple melodies flow horizontally. The "Primordial Sound" section focuses on artists exploring infinite worlds such as molecules or the universe.

In addition to the main exhibition hall, sound and visual element mixed art projects will be presented at external venues such as Yangnim-dong in Gwangju, cafes and public places in downtown Gwangju, parks, alternative art spaces, and shops.

The reflection of the Gwangju Spirit is also a noteworthy aspect. Director Bourriaud said, "We are considering how to incorporate it into the exhibition, and I think it is an important issue," but added, "While we will include historical memories or traces, we will avoid making them explicit or direct."

The Gwangju Biennale, held every even-numbered September, postponed the 13th event by one year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 14th edition began on April 14th this year. From next year, the schedule will be normalized with a September opening.

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