‘2022 Busan Biennale’, First Nationwide Government Evaluation Achieves Top Grade

Busan City achieved the remarkable feat of the ‘2022 Busan Biennale’ receiving the highest Grade 1 rating for the first time nationwide in the biennale government evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Management Support Center.

The ‘2022 Busan Biennale’ was organized by the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee (Chairman Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan) and held from September 3 to November 6 last year for 65 days at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Busan Port Pier 1, warehouses in Yeongdo, and Choryang. It is an internationally scaled contemporary art exhibition.

This evaluation was conducted on biennales held nationwide last year that wish to receive government support from 2023 onward, based on three indicators: ▲Artistic Quality ▲Operation and Management ▲Performance and Feedback, through document review and on-site inspection. The ‘Busan Biennale’ received particularly high scores in artistic quality and operation and management, earning the Grade 1 rating, and it is the only biennale to receive this top grade.

This evaluation marks the first time nationwide since the biennale government evaluation switched to a grading system in 2019 that a biennale has been rated Grade 1. Following the 2018 Busan Biennale’s ranking as number one among national biennales, it has once again received excellent evaluations, enhancing the status of the biennale.

The fact that the exhibition was recognized as one of the top 10 exhibitions held outside the United States and Europe in 2022 by a UK-based international art magazine was also seen as an indicator reflecting the elevated artistic quality of this exhibition.

Furthermore, the Organizing Committee’s initiative to utilize idle industrial facilities throughout Busan to promote balanced cultural enjoyment in the region contributed not only to hosting the biennale but also achieved urban regeneration effects. It was evaluated as successfully fulfilling the role of a contemporary art festival contributing to the local community.

Beyond the exhibition itself, the biennale received comprehensive excellent evaluations in all areas, including systematic domestic and international promotion, viral marketing through social media (SNS) content development and influencer utilization, and the promotion of the ‘2022 Busan Art Map Project’ to foster coexistence with the local visual arts community.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mayor Park Hyung-jun, said, “I am very pleased that the efforts of the Organizing Committee, led by Executive Director Kim Sung-yeon, have been recognized with such a good evaluation.” He added, “The city and the Organizing Committee will continue to lead the promotion of Korean art culture and the globalization of regional art based on accumulated know-how. Additionally, we plan to steadily advance the construction of a world-class art museum to serve as a foundation for the development of local art and the bid for the 2030 World Expo.”

2022 Busan Biennale exhibition viewing scene (Busan Port Pier 1).

원본보기 아이콘

From October 14 to November 19, for 37 days, the ‘2023 Sea Art Festival’ will be held in Ilgwang, Busan, under the direction of Greek exhibition director Irini Papadimitriou, featuring participation from about 30 domestic and international artist teams.

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