Venice Biennale Korean Pavilion
The Venice Biennale is an international art festival that began in 1895, and the Korean Pavilion opened in 1995 as the 26th national pavilion. The establishment of the Korean Pavilion was the result of government-level support, corporate donations, and the activism of artists after Paik Nam June’s work was exhibited in the German Pavilion and won the Golden Lion Award. The Pavilion was allocated space in Castello between the German and Japanese Pavilions. It was built primarily of glass and metal and based on the design of architect Kim Seokchul.
Sao Paulo Art Biennial
The Sao Paulo Art Biennial is an international exposition which started in 1951. The Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art was the main venue for the event until 1957 when it moved to Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion. The exposition has the second longest history next to the Venice Biennale, and shares similar features with Venice, regarding the commissioner system and the use of themed exhibitions. South Korea expanded cultural exchange programs within the program since diplomatic relations were established in 1959 and began to officially participate in the Biennales after 1963. Kim Whanki, the chairman of the board of the Korean Art Association, served as the first commissioner in 1959, and seven artists including Yoo Youngkuk, Kim Youngjoo, Kim Kichang, Yoo Kangyul, Han Yongjin, Suh Seok, and Kim Whanki himself, submitted works to the exhibition. Their art pieces were previewed at the Korean Information Service Gallery in Seoul between June 14 and June 16. Over the last 70 years, Kim Bokyoung, Seo Seong-rok, Kim Youngho, Yoon Jinsup, and Oh Sang-Ghil have all been appointed as commissioners to the Biennale.
Paris Biennale
The Paris Biennale was an international art exhibition held at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris from 1959 to 1985. The exhibition only accepted works from younger artists aged 20 to 35. Artists could submit to different categories, such as painting, sculpture, print, and drawing as long their works were created within the four years prior to submission. Unlike other Biennales, the Paris Biennale did not award any prizes. Instead, the committee selected specific works from each genre and offered grants and exhibition opportunities to the selected artists. Korean artists were invited to the first Paris Biennale in 1959, but they only began to participate from the second Paris Biennale in 1961. The committee of the Hyundae Fine Artists Association [Hyeondae misulga hyeopoe], delegated by the Korean Minister of Education, selected participating artists, such as Chang Seongsoun, Chung Changsup, Cho Yongik, and Kim Tschang-yeul for the second; Park Seobo, Youn Myeungro, Choi Kiwon, Kim Bongtae for the third; and Chung Sanghwa, Ha Chonghyun, Jeong Yeong-il, Lee Yangno, Choi Manlin, Park Chongbae, and Kim Chonghak for the fourth. However, after the seventh Biennale in 1963, the Korean Artists Association [Hanguk misul hyeopoe] began to question the fairness of the selection process, and the committee began to invite public submissions from the eighth Biennale onward. The Paris Biennale became a new turning point for Korean artists of the 1960s Art Informel generation by providing an opportunity for them to experience and experiment with new styles.
Gwangju Biennale
An international contemporary art exhibition held every two years. The biennale is the first of its kind in Asia. The theme of the first Gwangju Biennale in 1995 was Beyond the Borders, and the theme of the most recent twelveth Gwangju Biennale was Imagined Borders. Each biennale hosts exhibitions and events based on themes that reflect the global diversity of socio-cultural realities and progressive values around the world.
Kassel Documenta
Kassel Documenta is an international contemporary art event held every five years in the Kassel region located in the center of Germany. The first edition was held in 1955 at the suggestion of Arnold Bode, an artist and professor at Kassel Academy, as an event accompanying the German national garden show (Bundesgartenschau), which was held throughout Germany. In its early years, Kassel Documenta tried to promote Germany as a cultural nation by focusing on works by German artists and revisit avant-garde art that Hitler had suppressed in an effort to bring peace and stability to the country after World War II. Afterwards, artists from all around the world were allowed to participate, a judging panel of experts was formed, and a new art director was appointed each time to hold a thematic exhibition. Unlike open call biennales led by the state, Kassel Documenta is hosted by a non-profit organization and its organizing committee discovers and selects artists and works. Each edition of Kassel Documenta is characterized by the discussion of new discourses on contemporary art and the pursuit of ethnic and national diversity. Artworks are installed throughout the Kassel region with the Fridericianum and Documenta Halle as the main exhibition halls. In 1977, Paik Nam June broadcasted the Live Satellite Telecast in real time at the opening of Documenta 6, and Yook Keunbyung installed The Sound of Landscape + Eye for Field in the Fridericianum at Documenta 9 in 1992. The Kassel Documenta is a leading international art event that highlights undiscovered sites of contemporary art and presents a vision of the future.