The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) has appointed curator Binna Choi as the Artistic Director for the Korean Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) in 2026. 

Binna Choi previously served as a curator for the 2016 Gwangju Biennale and as a co-artistic director for the 2022 Singapore Biennale. She was the Director of Casco Art Institute in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2023. She is currently serving as a co-artistic director for the Hawai‘i Triennial 2025, which runs until May 4 this year.

Through an open call to select the artistic director for the Korean Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, ARKO has ultimately appointed curator Binna Choi as the artistic director. Choi’s exhibition proposal, 《Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest (working title, hereafter referred to as Fortress and Nest)》, envisions the Korean Pavilion as a monument that invites reflection on connection and solidarity, and evokes resilience for humanity living through an era of division and turmoil beyond Korea. Her proposal, noted for its high level of experimental curatorial approach, garnered strong expectations from the selection committee.
 
In 《Fortress and Nest》, the Korean Pavilion is envisioned as a monumental space that transforms states of social conflict and turmoil into a dynamic and inclusive energy of movement. As artists in their 30s and 40s — the core generation set to lead the near future — Goen Choi and Heyree Ro, who have each developed their own abstract, material, and performative artistic languages over the past decade, will actively engage with and transform the structure of the Pavilion through the contrasting spatial concepts of "fortress" and "nest," respectively. 

Through the sensory circulation and movement of tense confrontation and intimate embrace within and beyond the Pavilion, the project aims to reveal a new order — a 21st-century “Liberation Space.” In addition, the Pavilion will serve as a communal platform by selecting and inviting “fellows” to participate.

Regarding Binna Choi’s experimental proposal, the selection committee stated, "We expect it will showcase the soft power of contemporary Korea through the sensory transformation of body, space, and material." The full list of selection committee members and the overall evaluation can be found on the ARKO website.
 
First held in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the oldest and one of the most influential international art exhibitions in the world. Last December 3, the Venice Biennale Foundation (President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco) appointed Koyo Kouoh — Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) — as the Artistic Director for the next edition. 

The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale will take place over approximately seven months, from May 9 to November 21, 2026, in the Giardini della Biennale and Arsenale areas of Venice, Italy.

References

• 한국문화예술위원회 보도자료 (Arts Council Korea Press Release)