Watch from Your Bed, Experience in an Abandoned Factory... Busan Hosts Media Art Festival

The entire city of Busan has been transformed into a media art exhibition space. Not only museums and galleries, but also hotel rooms, former factories, outdoor parks, and clubs have been turned into venues where video and sound flow throughout the space.

Installation view of artwork by Seunghye Hong. International Gallery

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The Busan Museum of Art announced on April 27 that it will host the international media art festival '2026 Loop Lab Busan' at 35 cultural and artistic venues across Busan until June 28. This year's event features over 130 artists from 25 countries, presenting works based on digital video, media installations, artificial intelligence (AI), game engines, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).

Loop Lab Busan is inspired by the Spanish media art platform 'Loop Barcelona.' Rather than being curated by a specific artistic director or following a single theme, each venue and institution independently organizes its own exhibition under the genre of media art. Seojinseok, Director of the Busan Museum of Art, explained, "This event has no collection, no hierarchical structure, no art director, and no theme," adding, "Over 130 artists from 25 countries will showcase their individual perspectives through digital media art across 35 cultural spaces, making it a horizontal art festival."

The main exhibition, 'Digital Subculture: Narratives and Stories in the Digital Age,' is being held at the outdoor sculpture park of the Busan Museum of Art. The short-form works of 13 digital creators active on social networking services (SNS) have been transferred to large screens. In an environment where the proliferation of generative AI has lowered the barrier to video production, these short and fragmented videos demonstrate how they function as a new form of narrative.

'Moving on Asia: Post Social Engagement Art' is taking place at the Busan Cultural Center. Sixteen artists from 14 countries, including Korea, are presenting video and media works utilizing AI, 3D game graphics, and advanced computing technology. Unlike conventional socially engaged art, which centers on grand discourses such as ideology, environment, and gender, these artists address contemporary social issues based on individualized sensibilities and the digital environment.

There are also spaces where industrial facilities have been transformed into exhibition venues. At the Dongnae Factory of Dongil Rubber Belt, which had been abandoned for over 40 years, works such as 'Dragonfly's Eye' by Chinese artist Xu Bing are being showcased. This piece edits footage from public CCTV cameras to reveal the realities of surveillance and control in the digital age. At F1963 in Suyeong District, an exhibition by the Russian artist collective AES+F is being held. They present video works that merge social and political issues such as globalism, post-colonialism, migration, regional conflicts, and the climate crisis.

An audience is viewing artwork at the media art fair "Loop Plus." Loop Plus

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At Kukje Gallery Busan in Suyeong District, a solo exhibition by artist Seunghye Hong titled 'On the Move' is being held. Since the late 1990s, Hong has used digital pixels as a sculptural language. In this exhibition, she unpacks the movement of geometric images through video and music. Works such as 'Facial Expression Practice,' inspired by emoticons, and 'Snoopy Goes to Space,' which translates characters into shapes, demonstrate how dots, lines, and planes on a digital screen give rise to emotions and rhythm. The exhibition runs until June 14.

At the Grand Josun Busan in Haeundae District, the media art fair 'Loop Plus' was held from April 23 to 26. Twenty-six hotel rooms were transformed into gallery booths, with participation from domestic and international galleries and institutions such as Esther Schipper, Chi-Wen Gallery, Tang Contemporary, and Baek Art. Visitors could view artworks lying on beds or sitting on sofas and receive consultations for purchases. Last year, a total of 30 works were sold at Loop Plus, including 18 to institutions and 12 to individuals.

Programs utilizing clubs and outdoor factories have also been prepared. At the 'Output' club in Bujeon-dong, Busan, a night art project in the form of 'beam busking' was held, where anyone could bring their own work and present it using beam projectors and sound equipment, without designated participating artists. On May 1, a similar program will be held at the Ilsansujee outdoor factory in Hakjang-dong, Busan.

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