Gwangju Biennale opens with call for change across time, scale
JEONNAM-GWANGJU METROPOLITAN CITY — The 16th Gwangju Biennale began its opening events Friday, ahead of its public opening Saturday, with an exhibition that invites visitors to see change not as a sudden break, but as a gradual process shaping individuals, communities, landscapes and the planet. Titled “You Must Change Your Life,” the biennale's main exhibition runs through Nov. 15 at the Gwangju…
The 16th Gwangju Biennale kicked off on Friday, leading up to its public debut on Saturday, with a thought-provoking exhibition that reframes change as a continuous, evolving journey rather than a sudden upheaval. Entitled “You Must Change Your Life,” the biennale's flagship showcase will be on display until November 15 at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall.
Co-curated by Ho Tzu Nyen, Che Kyong-fa, Park Ga-hee, and Brian Kuan Wood, the exhibition unites 43 artists and collectives across five galleries within the venue. The title, inspired by the concluding line of Rainer Maria Rilke's poem “Archaic Torso of Apollo,” functions more as an open-ended challenge than a directive, as explained by Ho.
"It conveys that transformation is necessary, but it leaves open the question of how, why, or what the outcome should be," Ho stated during a press conference. "It's a call to action without a roadmap." This ambiguity resonates particularly in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, a metropolis marked by its pivotal role in the 1980 pro-democracy movement and its current status.
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