The Next Big Names? Here Are 5 Rising Artists To Watch From The Gwangju Biennale In South Korea

Although the opening of the 14th Gwangju Biennale in South Korea was hit by a thunderstorm and a communications disruption, causing a chaotic event, it was a success.

This stage biennial was not about the K-pop appeal of super junior Siwon Cho, who was named this edition's ambassador; It also has nothing to do with the strong presence of the opposition Democratic Party, which includes Gwangju Mayor Kang Ji-jung. The real star is the groundbreaking exhibition titled Soft and Frail as Water, curated by Sok Kyung Lee, Tate Modern's first South Korean-born executive director since 2006.

Spread across five galleries and four other halls of the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, this beautifully curated exhibition is a valuable forum for inspiration and a setting for wonder.

Featuring 79 artists from around the world, the show is divided into four main sections: Bright Halo, Voices of the Fathers, Transitional Sovereignty and Planetary Times. Set in a city known for its struggle for freedom and democracy in South Korea, this troupe may not seem too political at first glance, but there are politically charged poems that pose pressing questions of protest, colonialism and of war and questioning. Area. The wisdom here is like water - its softness and flexibility can be a powerful medium, penetrating hard surfaces to bring about change.

Before a full review of this sprawling biennale, we highlight five artists from the event who deserve international attention.

Ayum Jeongseon.

Oum Jeongsoon, The Trunkless Elephant (2023). Courtesy of the artist and the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. Photo: mica workers.

Who: Born in 1961 in Chung-ju, South Korea, Ohm graduated from Ewha Women's University College of Arts in Korea in 1988 and continued her studies in Munich, Germany. He was previously an art professor at Konkuk University in the 1990s and exhibited in Korea, Japan and Germany. He is the founder and director of the art exhibition and education center "Our Eye". He lives in Seoul.

Work on Show: Elephant Without a Trunk (2023) is presented in the Illuminated Halo section of the Gwangju Biennale exhibition hall. His work won the inaugural Seo-bo Art Prize at the Gwangju Biennale Park, sponsored by the 91-year-old Korean artist, and endowed with a cash prize of US$100,000.

Why you should see it : His ongoing project, Um, Way to See, traces the journey of the first elephants from Indonesia to Korea 600 years ago. The Bodyless Elephant is a continuation of this project in which Um reinterprets elephants through the experiences of blind people and brings them to life on a larger scale. These ambiguously shaped "elephants" - some without a trunk and some without a real body - remind us that "no one can see properly, no one can see the whole". We only see part of the world,” said Frances Morris, director of Tate Modern and one of five jurors for the Park Seo-Bo Art Prize. Morris praised the artist for sending a great message to the world in the post-pandemic era, "She expressed life in genres that continue to this day. And it's a strong bond that transcends tradition.

Emilie Shkarnulyte

Emilija Škarnulytė, Æqualia (2023) will be presented at the Gwangju Biennale. Photo: Vivienne Chow.

Who: Born in 1987 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Škarnulytė is an artist and filmmaker who oscillates between documentary and fiction. The award-winning artist is a graduate of the Academy of Contemporary Art in Tromsø, Norway, whose works are collected by the Cadiste Foundation and the Center Pompidou. He is the founder and co-director of the Polar Film Lab and a member of the artist duo Addis Miner Collective. It is located between Vilnius and Oslo.

Work on Performance: Æqualia (2023), an immersive video installation presented to Planetary Times in the exhibition hall of the Gwangju Biennale.

Why you should pay attention: Škarnulytė made headlines last year when he turned down the GASAG art prize, protesting Germany's reliance on Russian power during its war with Ukraine. At this year's Gwangju Biennale, the artist can give news of his art. Æqualia is an enigmatic and fascinating work depicting mermaid-like creatures roaming various bodies of water. The mythical creature swims the various rivers around the Amazon, crossing the black waters of the Rio Negro and the white waters of the Rio Negro at one point. Sometimes locals see mermaids playing with dolphins in Rose River. Reflecting the theme of this sub-episode, this lyrical nine-minute film captures the beauty and mystery of nature. The exploration of mermaids in different waters inspires us to overcome conflicts and unexpected situations.

Yuko Mori

Yuko Mohri , I/O (2011-23), exhibited at the Gwangju Biennial. Photo: Vivienne Chow.

Who: Born in Kanagawa in 1980, Mohri graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and has had solo exhibitions all over the world. His residencies at the Asian Cultural Council in New York, at the Victoria and Albert Museum and at the Camden Center for the Arts in London have increased his international influence. His works are part of the collections of the Center Pompidou in Paris, the M+ in Hong Kong and the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. He lives in Tokyo.

Works exhibited: Installation works exhibited in Horangassi Artpolygon's Glass Pavilion, Outside I/O Spaces (2011-23).

Why should you pay attention to it? According to our survey from last year, this installation artist has been a regular participant in biennials around the world since 2017, and after seeing his work in Guangzhou, it's not hard to see why. The I/O series is an ongoing series of kinetic sculptures. But the artist has given a new twist to in situ works by adapting them to local conditions. By collecting invisible dust and dirt from the surface and sensing environmental elements such as airflow and humidity, Mohri's work transforms these unusual spaces into a "musical score" unique to Gwangju. The artist connects his work to Han Kang's novel The White Book (2016) and the city's multi-layered history, indicating the creation of a "sense of history never written before". He is planning a solo exhibition at the gallery's London location, which opens in September at Art Basel, Switzerland.

Ann Duke Hi Jordan

Anne Duke Hello Jordan, it's been a long time and thanks for all the fish (2023). Courtesy of the artists and the Gwangju Biennale.

Who: Jordan was born in Korea in 1978 and raised in Germany. Freedom since childhood, Jordan's installations explore the interactions between humans and non-humans, marine life, technology, food and sexuality. Humor often plays an inspiring and entertaining role in an artist's work. Jordan is based in Berlin.

Work on the Show : Thanks for the Fish (2023) in Horangassi's Artpolygon Prison, one of the former offsite locations .

Why you should pay attention: Jordan has created a mysterious but eerie world with this sprawling installation that spans three rooms in the basement of this community art center on Yangmin Mountain. Decorated with black lights and neon colors, the glass room is full of black objects and creatures that are inhabitants of a unique ecosystem that can only be found in this room. There are also non-human robot residents who can sense the presence of humans as they begin to make cheerful gestures to welcome guests. Apparently, this robotic creature is part of Jordan's ongoing series Artificial Idiot (2016-), which takes its title from the 2019 book Novacene by the late scientist, environmentalist and futurist James Lovelock. Inspire artists to think about our future through a local lens.

Ah Suk Kun.

Oh Suk Kun, "Property of the Enemy" series (rear, on the wall) and "Prosperity" series (front). Photo: Vivienne Chow.

Who: Oh was born in Incheon, South Korea in 1979 and studied photography at Nottingham Trent University in England before embarking on a career as an artist. She works with photography, her medium of choice, to document and examine the traumas of state wars and colonial history in personal and collective memory. Oh is located in Incheon.

Work on an exhibition: series of photos "Property of the Enemy" and "Progress" in the exhibition hall of Gwangju.

Why you should pay attention: At first glance, the Oh My Secret Photography series may seem unattractive compared to the installations surrounding the work. But these seemingly fluid images tell important stories about Korean history that have long been forgotten or unknown. The Property of the Enemy series transforms the House of the Enemy built by the Japanese in Gwangju many years ago during the colonial era. The photos show haunted houses in Incheon and Busan (which the artist exhibited in a series at the Busan Biennale last year). Reflecting the symbol of longevity found in Korean culture, the "Progress" series was created by tracing styles and themes from cultures such as Greek, Chinese, Japanese and Art Nouveau. These constants are time capsules created by Oh to process and question the stories and narratives that influence Korea today.

The Gwangju Biennale runs until July 9.

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