"You Must Change Your Life": 16th Gwangju Biennale Embarks on a 72-Day Artistic Journey

Encountering the Possibilities and Nature of Change Across Five Exhibition Halls at the Biennale

Cross-Strait Tensions Erupt as China Announces Complete Withdrawal Right Before the Opening

The 16th Gwangju Biennale, Asia's largest contemporary art festival, kicked off on the 4th with its opening ceremony and press preview, launching a 72-day artistic journey that will run through November 15.

On the morning of the 4th, at the Geoshigi Hall of the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, Artistic Director Ho Chunien is explaining the exhibition at the press conference for the opening ceremony of the 16th Gwangju Biennale. Photo by Min Chanki

This edition of the Biennale has chosen as its theme "You must change your life"—the final line of a poem by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. A total of 43 artists and collectives from more than 30 countries are participating, depicting "change" through visual art on various levels, from the microscopic world of molecules and atoms, to individual lives, society and history, and even the cosmos.

The main exhibition, jointly curated by Artistic Director Ho Qunian and curators Park Gayhee, Brian Kuan Wood, and Choi Kyunghwa, has been concentrated in a single venue at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Unam-dong, Buk-gu, to focus visitors' attention.

Visitors will experience the nature and possibilities of change as they pass through five exhibition halls: Molecules and Me, Body and Relations, Landscape and Learning, Universe and Change, and Air and Ignition.

Inside the exhibition, volcanic rocks such as volcanic bombs and lava stalagmites from Jeju Stone Culture Park appear as artworks, embodying the coexistence of explosive moments and thousands of years of weathering to illustrate change. Every evening at 7 p.m., artist James T. Hong projects official apology videos from global politicians onto the exterior walls of the exhibition hall. Meanwhile, Kim Sunik's sound piece “Factory Lights” plays continuously for the entire duration of the exhibition, totaling 496 hours.

Works that reflect the history and spirit of community in Gwangju also draw attention. Members of the May Mothers’ House, in collaboration with artist Zhu Hong over a span of three years, completed 322 paintings that expand the wounds of the May 18 Democratic Uprising into a broader narrative of solidarity and care. There is also a space set up for visitors to taste Chunseolcha tea from Mudeungsan and experience the landscape, as well as to learn about the Gwangju Agricultural Advanced Technical School, founded by Heo Baekryeon.

The opening ceremony featured a performance by electronic musicians Kim Sunik and Ryu Hankil and the premiere of GB Commission’s new work “Calling” (2026) by Kwon Byungjun and Park Chankyung. In addition, the music duo Haepali and electronic musician Rrose presented outdoor live performances.

Artistic Director Ho Qunian commented, "This is not a spatial expansion, but a journey inward," adding, "I am grateful to share with visitors the process in which we learned and reflected together on the area of change."

Despite the grand opening of the main exhibition, the Pavilion (Special Exhibition) project, which involves 16 national pavilions and 11 participating institutions across the city center, suffered a setback. When the foundation approved the use of "Taiwan Pavilion" as the exhibition name by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Chinese curators announced their immediate and full withdrawal right before the opening, bringing cross-strait tensions to the festival and casting a shadow over the event.

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