'Resonance Field' Connecting Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae: The Entire City Becomes a Sculpture Exhibition

Changwon Sculpture Biennale Opens September 30

74 Teams from 14 Countries to Participate

First Korea-China Co-Artistic Director System

Shining a New Light on Urban Memory and East Asian Sculpture

"Resonance is not about making the same sound, but about different beings responding to each other."

2026 Changwon Sculpture Biennale Official Poster. 2026 Changwon Sculpture Biennale

On July 14, at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Co-Artistic Director Jo Hyejung explained the theme of this year's Changwon Sculpture Biennale, "Resonance Field." As she spoke, images of exhibition venues such as Seongsan Art Hall, Jinhae Station, and Masan Fish Market appeared one after another on the screen at the event. The exhibition venues are not limited to art museums, but extend throughout the city, utilizing old hanok houses, abandoned train stations, and market alleys—transforming the entire city into a stage for sculpture.

The "2026 Changwon Sculpture Biennale," Korea’s only biennale dedicated exclusively to sculpture, will be held from September 30 to November 15 for a total of 47 days. Seventy-four teams (81 artists) from 14 countries will showcase around 200 works. The event will welcome visitors at five locations across Changwon, including Seongsan Art Hall, Changwon House, Changwon Municipal Museum of History and Folklore, Jinhae Station, and Masan Fish Market.

This year’s theme is “Resonance Field.” It refers to a space where relationships are built not by becoming similar to one another, but by acknowledging differences. Director Jo stated, "The more we live in an era where answers arrive before questions, the more art must recover the way of responding mutually," adding, "Through sculpture, I wanted to connect the city and its people, memories and the present."

The theme is closely tied to Changwon’s history. In 2010, Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae were merged, but their distinct identities—as an industrial, port, and naval city—still coexist. Hwang In, head of the Changwon Sculpture Biennale Organizing Committee, said, "I hope this becomes an opportunity for the three cities to resonate as one community."

This biennale will, for the first time, be co-curated by Korean and Chinese Artistic Directors. Director Jo Hyejung and director Zhang Jun, who is from Shanghai, China, have curated the exhibition together. Director Jo highlights East Asian sculptural traditions beyond the Western concept of sculpture through the special exhibition "Sculpture Before Sculpture," while Director Zhang connects public sculptures scattered throughout the city by creating a digital map in "Changwon Sculpture Atlas."

Both domestic and international artists—including Kimsooja, Pedro Reyes, Manal AlDowayan, and Liu Jianhua—will present works that capture Changwon’s urban character, addressing themes such as industry and labor, ecology, and movement. The exhibition venues will also expand beyond Seongsan Art Hall to Jinhae Station and Masan Fish Market, bringing sculpture into everyday life.

On October 1, the day after the opening, the international symposium "Resonance Network" will take place, along with citizen participation workshops and docent programs. Rather than simply appreciating artworks, this year’s Changwon Sculpture Biennale aims to offer a new experience of resonance by encouraging visitors to walk the city and encounter new relationships between sculpture, place, and people.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.