On March 19, the exhibition plan for the Korean Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 2026 was unveiled. The exhibition is led by artistic director Binna Choi, with Hyeree Ro and Goen Choi participating as featured artists.
 
Under the title 《Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest》, this year’s Korean Pavilion reimagines the pavilion as a temporary monument for “liberation space.” Through this framework, the exhibition seeks to guide audiences toward sensing connection and resilience through sensory shifts in the body, space, and material—amid the conditions of a fractured contemporary world.
 
“Liberation space” refers both to the historical transitional period (1945–48), when Korea sought to build a new nation following liberation from Japanese colonial rule, and to an ongoing space of practice—one that continues to engage with new concepts of sovereignty and processes of world-making.

As a monument to “liberation space,” the Korean Pavilion is conceived as a site where contrasting sensibilities—likened to a “fortress” and a “nest”—coexist. Extending from this, the (liberation) movement enacted through the monument will expand into an anthology, fellowship and network-based activities, and eventually a homecoming exhibition.
 
Within this framework, artists Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro—who have each developed sculptural constructions and performative situations grounded in contrasting sensory systems—intervene in the pavilion. Through their respective sculptural installations and performances, titled Meridian and Bearing, they open new pathways and forms of circulation within the space.
 
Choi’s Meridian refers to both longitudinal lines and bodily energy channels, while Ro’s Bearing signifies not only a mechanical device that supports rotational movement, but also encompasses layered meanings such as sustaining, enduring, redirecting, yielding, and giving birth. Within stations constructed for autonomy and symbiosis, performers selected through an open call will carry out specific rituals each day, moving through these stations over the course of the exhibition.

《Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest》 extends beyond a circle of fellow artists by inviting a wide range of creators and activists from across cultural and social fields as fellows, thereby expanding the Korean Pavilion’s sense of movement and solidarity as a monument to “liberation space.” Invited fellows include farmer-activist Hooju Kim, artist and singer Lang Lee, Nobel Prize–winning novelist Han Kang, photographer Yezoi Hwang, and artist Christian Nyampeta.
 
Their works and practices engage with specific moments in Korean history—such as the “Candlelight Revolution,” the impeachment protests following the December 3 martial law declaration, the Gwangju Uprising, and the Jeju April 3rd Uprising and Massacre—and will be articulated through their presence and voices within Bearing and its stations.
 
In addition, the Korean Pavilion will, for the first time, collaborate with the Japan Pavilion in the Giardini—featuring artist Ei Arakawa-Nash and curated by Takahashi Mizuki and Horikawa Lisa—marking an unprecedented partnership between the only two Asian national pavilions in the Giardini. This gesture signals the necessity of continuing the practice of liberation beyond historical tensions and oppositions.
 
Furthermore, during the exhibition period, leading organizations from Korea and around the world engaged in practices of “liberation space” will be invited to form a network. Through their collaboration, a concrete vision of this imagined liberation space will be articulated in a subsequent homecoming exhibition.

The homecoming exhibition, to be held at the ARKO Art Center in 2027, will go beyond a retrospective or reenactment of the Venice presentation, instead taking the form of a platform for mutual learning and collaboration grounded in cultural and artistic practices.
 
In addition, an anthology (reader) serving as an archive of both the Korean Pavilion exhibition at the Venice Biennale and the subsequent homecoming exhibition will be published in two volumes—one for each exhibition. Following the homecoming show, a traveling exhibition is also planned, including a presentation at the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.
 
Meanwhile, the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which began in 1895, is the world’s oldest and one of the most influential international art events. The 61st edition in 2026 will run for approximately seven months, from May 9 to November 22, across venues including the Giardini and the Arsenale in Venice.
 
The Korean Pavilion will hold its press opening on May 6 at 11 a.m. for Korean media and at 1 p.m. for international press, followed by the official opening ceremony at 4 p.m.

References

• 한국문화예술위원회 보도자료 (Arts Council Korea Press Release)