As Korean has been selected as the guest language of the 80th Festival d’Avignon, the festival’s board announced on the 8th that a total of nine works by seven Korean performing arts groups have been selected for the official program (IN). This marks the first time in approximately 28 years that Korean works have been officially invited, since “Désir d’Asie” in 1998.
 
This selection is the result of nearly two years of research conducted in collaboration with the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS) and the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), reflecting both the artistic direction of the festival and the current landscape of Korean performing arts.

Among the selected works, a staged reading based on Impossible Goodbyes by Han Kang—recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature and the National Book Critics Circle Award—will be presented at the Cour d'honneur du Palais des Papes, the festival’s most iconic venue.
 
This production is a collaboration between the Festival d’Avignon and the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), featuring French actress Isabelle Huppert and Korean actress Hyeyoung Lee, and is also scheduled to be presented at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival this coming October.
 
Meanwhile, Italian director Daria Deflorian’s new work, Che dolore terribile è l'amore (What a Terrible Pain Love Is), also created based on Impossible Goodbyes, will be premiered at the festival.

Three works by Jaha Koo—who became the first Asian recipient of the International Ibsen Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of theatre”—will also be presented at the Festival d’Avignon. These include two pieces from his acclaimed Hamartia Trilogy, Cuckoo and The History of Korean Western Theatre, as well as Haribo Kimchi.
 
In addition, a range of performances will be featured: MULJIL, a participatory work from Elephants Laugh directed by Jinyeob Lee; Island Story by Creative VaQi, directed by Kyung-Sung Lee, set against the backdrop of the Jeju 4.3 Incident; 1 Degree Celsius by the “Her Project,” choreographed by Sung Im Her, which sensorially explores the climate crisis; KIN: Yeonhee Project I by Liquid Sound, directed by Inbo Lee, combining traditional Korean performance (yeonhui) with contemporary dance; and Snow, Snow, Snow by Lee Jaram, a pansori reinterpretation of a short story by Tolstoy.

KAMS is working in collaboration with the Festival d’Avignon to expand the international circulation of Korean performing arts. During the festival, it will host the “K-Stage Rendezvous” (working title) at the Cloître Saint-Louis, one of Avignon’s main venues, where more than 50 performing arts professionals, programmers, and critics from around the world will gather to explore possibilities for collaboration, co-production, and distribution with Korean artists.
 
In addition, support will be provided for participation in “Transmission Impossible,” a residency and educational program for emerging artists. Aimed at students in the arts and early-career practitioners, the program offers opportunities for capacity building and international exchange.
 
Moving beyond the simple export of performances, it seeks to foster broader human and professional networks. Two participants were selected each in 2024 and 2025, and a total of four young artists are scheduled to take part in 2026.

Kim Jang-ho, President of the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS), stated, “The selection of Korean as the guest language at the Festival d’Avignon is a symbolic achievement that demonstrates the international stature of Korean performing arts.”
 
He added, “Beyond performing arts, we will introduce the expansiveness of Korean art to the world through collaborations with diverse genres such as literature and visual art, and further activate the global circulation of Korean performing arts based on international platforms such as the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) and the Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS).”
 
This year’s Festival d’Avignon will take place from July 4 to 25 at major venues across Avignon, France. More information can be found on the festival’s official website(https://festival-avignon.com/en).

References

• 예술경영지원센터 보도자료 (Korea Arts Management Service Press Release)
• 2026 아비뇽 페스티벌 (2026 Festival d’Avignon)