Installation view of 2022 Busan Biennale at Youngdo ©Busan Biennale Organizing Committee
The final participating artists for the Busan Biennale 2024, which will take place from August 17 to October 20, have been announced. The exhibition, themed “Seeing in the Dark,” will feature 62 artists/teams (78 participants) from 36 countries. The exhibition will be held in the original city center, utilizing the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Busan Modern & Contemporary history Museum, Hansung 1918, and Choryang House (an old house in Choryang-dong), and is curated by Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte.
The theme of the Busan Biennale 2024, “Seeing in the Dark,” is a visual paradox. Darkness is contrasted with ‘seeing’ by blocking the vision. This paradox invites viewers to engage with the exhibition with all their senses, including their eyes, and to think outside the box.
The exhibition features works by artists such as Nguyễn Phương Linh & Trương Quế Chi from Vietnam, Than Sok & Kanitha Tith from Cambodia, and others who embrace metaphorical darkness, such as Western domination, social power structures, or labor issues, as well as those who directly incorporate darkness into their work, such as HongLee Hyunsook, who uses the senses of hearing and touch in situations where vision is limited.
Dina Nomena Andriarimanjaka from Madagascar, a descendant of the Betsimisaraka dynasty, the foundation of the ‘pirate enlightenment’, and artists from the Middle East, such as Palestine and Iran, which are currently experiencing complex conflicts over race and religion, are also visiting Busan. Contemporary artworks including videos, installations, and other works from Africa, such as Senegal, Jamaica, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo, will also be on display.
The final list of participating artists is as follows
Koo Hunjoo, Kim Jipeong, Kyung Hwa Kim, Bahc Yiso, Bang Jeong A, Song Cheon, Shin Hakchul, Yun Suknam, Ka Young Lee, Doowon Lee, Lee Yanghee, Eugene Jung, Cha Ji Ryang, Daejin Choi, Yun Choi, HongLee Hyunsook, Hong Jin-hwon, Abigail Aroha Jensen, Ashfika Rahman, ayoh kré Duchâtelet, bani haykal, Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen, Chang Wen-Hsuan and Writing FACTory X RRD, Cheikh Ndiaye, Chen Xiaoyun, Christina Lopez, Dina Nomena Andriarimanjaka, Douglas R. Ewart, Fred Bervoets, Fred Moten & Stefano Harney with Zun Lee, Futoshi Miyagi, Golrokh Nafisi with Ahmadali Kadivar, Han Mengyun, Hélène Akouavi Amouzou, Ishikawa Mao, Jasmine Togo-Brisby, Joe Namy, John Vea, Kanitha Tith, Layne Waerea, Lin Chi-Wei, Nathalie Muchamad, Nguyễn Phương Linh & Trương Quế Chi, Nika Dubrovsky, Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé, Omar Chowdhury, Pratchaya Phinthong, Rajyashri Goody, Sadie Woods, Shooshie Sulaiman & I Wayan Darmadi, Shuruq Harb with Federica Bueti, Sophia Al-Maria, Sorawit Songsataya, Sriwhana Spong, Subversive Film, Taring Padi, Than Sok, Theanly Chov, Tracy Naa Koshie Thompson, Ubermorgen, Yoko Terauchi, Zishi Han
