Gwangju Biennale and Malta Arts Council Sign 'Pavilion Agreement'

Participation in the 16th Gwangju Biennale... Joint Planning
Agreements Also Pursued with Spain, France, and Poland

Sanggap Lee, Vice Mayor of Culture and Economy of Gwangju, is taking a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement for continuous art exchange and the establishment of a permanent pavilion with Annabel Stivala, Director of International Cultural Exchange at the Malta Arts Council, on the morning of the 7th at the Gwangju Biennale Foundation meeting room. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City is pursuing 'Memorandums of Understanding' with art institutions from around the world, including Malta, Spain, France, and Poland, to expand and establish the Gwangju Biennale Pavilion as a permanent fixture.

Gwangju City announced on the 8th that the Gwangju Biennale and the Malta Arts Council signed a memorandum of understanding at the Biennale Foundation on the 7th for ongoing art exchanges and the permanent establishment of the pavilion.

The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Sanggap, Acting CEO of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and Deputy Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju City; Annabelle Stivala, Director of International Cultural Exchange at the Malta Arts Council; Romina Delia, Director of Internationalization; and Eric Sevsta, Head of Administration.

This agreement was promoted to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Malta. The two institutions agreed to actively cooperate on: ▲joint planning and mutual support for the Malta Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale ▲exchange of contemporary art content ▲sharing of resources between institutions for cultural and academic exchanges ▲promotion for joint projects.

In particular, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation plans to introduce Maltese art institutions and artists to Korea, organize exhibitions and related programs in which Gwangju citizens participate from the production stage, and promote international art exchange and cooperation projects.

The Malta Arts Council is a national institution of the Republic of Malta, located in Southern Europe, established to promote Maltese culture and arts to the world and to create diverse points of contact.

Lee Sanggap, Acting CEO of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, said, "We look forward to a more diverse 16th Gwangju Biennale Pavilion through our collaboration with the Malta Arts Council," adding, "We will strive to ensure that this agreement leads to various international exchanges."

The Gwangju Biennale Pavilion, which began with three pavilions in 2018, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with the participation of 31 national and cultural institutions (22 national pavilions and 9 institutions), marking the largest scale in its history.

Following this year's memorandum of understanding with the Malta Arts Council, Gwangju City is accelerating preparations for the 2026 Gwangju Biennale Pavilion exhibition by pursuing similar agreements with countries and cultural institutions such as Spain, France, and Poland.

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