Busan Biennale
The Busan Biennale is a biannual international contemporary art show that integrated three different art events held in the city in 1998: the Busan Youth Biennale, the first biennale of Korea that was voluntarily organized by local artists in 1981; the Sea Art Festival, an environmental art festival launched in 1987 with the sea serving as a backdrop; and the Busan International Outdoor Sculpture Symposium that was first held in 1991. The biennale was previously called the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival (PICAF) before it launched.
The biennale has its own unique attribute in that it was formed not out of any political logic or need but rather the pure force of local Busan artists’ will and their voluntary participation. Even to this day their interest in Busan's culture and its experimental nature has been the key foundation for shaping the biennale’s identity.
This biennale is the only one like it in the world that was established through an integration of three types of art events such as a Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sculpture Symposium, and Sea Art Festival. The Sculpture Symposium in particular was deemed to be a successful public art event, the results of which were installed throughout the city and dedicated to revitalizing cultural communication with citizens. The networks formed through the event have assumed a crucial role in introducing and expanding domestic art overseas and leading the development of local culture for globalized cultural communication. Founded 38 years ago, the biennale aims to popularize contemporary art and achieve art in everyday life by providing a platform for interchanging experimental contemporary art.
2012 Requiem
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관리자 2013-03-25 09:15
Requiem
THREE IN THE MORNING
To anyone entering a Korean house – whether it’s a restaurant, temple or a private home – being greeted by scattered shoes is hardly a surprise. These shoes signal a threshold between exterior and interior space – a threshold its owners have crossed.Thus, Sung’s arrangement in the entrance hall of the Busan Museum of Art has a familiar look about it. And yet, the shoes are worn out; they are worker’s heavy boots, decorated with the colorful paper flowers so often used in mourning ceremonies or in popular festivals like the Madang Nori, for example.The decorations emerged from a collaboration between the artist and workers at Hanjin Heavy Industries Yeongdo shipyard in Busan.
The oldest shipyard in Korea, it dates back to 1937. Massive layoffs led to month-long strikes in 2011. One particularly memorable example was Kim Jin-Suk’s 225-day occupation of a giant crane – yet another risky political performance by a single individual in Korea’s recent history.Sung met with the workers, asked them to contribute their shoes, and organized the collective flower-making. Naturally, sitting together in a big group inspired all kinds of chat. Stories were revealed and shared; tales told that were sad, bitter or funny. Though not immediately accessible to the viewer, those stories are an integral part of the work. They convey a spirit.