코리아나-

Cheongju Craft Biennale

The 2023 Cheongju Craft Biennale will be held under the theme “The Geography of Objets: Living in the Net of Biophilia.” The main exhibition of the biennale’s 13th edition will feature 96 artists from 18 countries. They will explore the stories behind each craft as well as their direction in the 21st century.

DATE: Sept. 1 to Oct. 15, 2023
VENUE: Culture Factory and other locations throughout Cheongju
WEBSITE : www.okcj.org

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism

The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, a biennial international event, is a networking platform that aims to explore urban issues of global cities, providing Seoul as a testbed to look for alternatives. With architect Byoung Soo Cho as its general director, the theme of this year’s edition is “Land Architecture, Land Urbanism: City of Mountain Ranges, Waterways, and Wind Breezes, Drawing of Seoul’s Next 100 years.” It will continue the debates on urbanism that started at previous editions under the themes “Imminent Commons” (2017), “Collective City” (2019), and “Crossroads: Building the Resilient City” (2021).

DATE: Sept. 1 to Oct. 29, 2023
VENUE: Songhyeon Green Plaza, Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture, Seoul Citizens Hall
WEBSITE : www.seoulbiennale.org

Blurring Boundaries: Hanbok Revisited

This exhibition showcases hanbok by fashion designer Christina Kim. It is the seventh fashion exhibition this year at Arumjigi, a nonprofit private organization dedicated to creatively maintaining traditional Korean culture. The exhibition shows how even slight modifications can preserve a hanbok’s timeless beauty while making it appealing as everyday apparel.

DATE: Sept. 2 to Nov. 15, 2023
VENUE: Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation in Tongui-dong, Seoul
WEBSITE : www.arumjigi.org

Jeonju International Sori Festival

The 22nd edition of the Jeonju International Sori Festival, which has established itself as Korea’s main event for traditional music, will feature 105 performances and 89 events. Music genres from around the world will be performed in Jeonju and at locations across North Jeolla Province, with the focus on pansori, traditional Korean musical storytelling. In addition to musicians and singers from Korea, performers from 13 other countries, including Australia and Canada, will participate. The theme of this year’s festival is “Coexistence and Resilience.”

DATE: Sept. 15-24, 2023
VENUE: Sori Arts Center Jeonju Hanok Village and other locations in North Jeolla Province
WEBSITE : www.sorifestival.com

DMZ OPEN Festival

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, the DMZ OPEN Festival, an event aspiring to bring forth greater peace, has been underway since May. It aims to highlight the ecological value of the demilitarized zone, a strip of land running across the 38th parallel, as well as build a broad consensus for peace on the peninsula. Visitors may participate in programs focusing on ecology, peace, history, sports, and culture at venues such as the Imjingak Peace Nuri Park and other locations close to the DMZ, including Yeoncheon, Paju, and Gimpo.

DATE: May 20 to Nov. 11, 2023
VENUE: Imjingak Peace Nuri Park and locations near the DMZ
WEBSITE : www.dmzopen.kr

Seoul Mediacity Biennale

Under the theme “This Too, Is a Map,” the 12th Seoul Mediacity Biennale (SMB12), will aim to redefine the concepts of migration, diaspora, and languages. Guided by new artistic director Rachel Rakes, SMB12 will look at systems imposed or created outside national borders, including transnational solidarities, underground commitments, the coded mapping of data and infrastructure, as well as those of artistic and political communication. The contemporary art event will welcome over 70 contributors, including 40 exhibiting artists and artist teams as well as over 30 artists, writers, researchers, musicians, DJs, and choreographers who will participate in programs and publications.

DATE: Sept. 21 to Nov. 19, 2023
VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), Seoul Museum of History, Seoullo Media Canvas, and a series of underground spaces across Seoul
WEBSITE : www.mediacityseoul.kr

Busan International Film Festival

The 28th edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia’s biggest film festival, will be held October 4-13. Under the leadership of acting festival heads Nam Dong-chul and Kang Seung-ah, this year’s BIFF will once again introduce an abundance of new films as well as talented directors and actors. Through its Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the festival plays a prominent role in publicizing Asian films around the world. Audience participation programs will include Actor’s House, introduced in 2021, which will have actors share intimate stories of their careers with festivalgoers.

DATE: Oct. 4-13, 2023
VENUE: Busan Cinema Center, Centum City, and various locations in Haeundae and Nampo-dong
WEBSITE : www.biff.kr

Seoul Performing Arts Festival

The 23rd Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) will be held under the theme of “Borderless Thoughts and Questions.” As artistic director Kyu Cho explains, “Great discoveries and new changes always start with questions. Thinking and questioning without boundaries, along with curiosity and inspiration, is the most important starting point for creation.” Question topics include: contemporary political, social, and cultural contexts; the future of technology; the transition of traditional art forms; art in a time of climate crisis; and erased histories of individuals, among others. Started in 2001, SPAF is Korea’s largest, oldest, and most iconic international performing arts festival. It serves as a venue of dialogue for artists and audience, offering contemporary performance art, workshops, forums, and events.

DATE: Oct. 6-29, 2023
VENUE: Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea, Daehakro Arts Theater, and other locations
WEBSITE : www.spaf.or.kr

Jarasum Jazz Festival

The Jarasum Jazz Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Since its inception in 2004, it has become one of the most prominent jazz festivals in Asia. Over the years, some 1,200 bands from 58 countries have performed at the festival, which attracts more than 100,000 music fans annually. Each year, one country is selected to lead the festival’s signature “Country Focus Program,” and this year, Canada will be the headliner.

DATE: Oct. 7-9, 2023
VENUE: Jara Island and nearby locations in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province
WEBSITE : www.jarasumjazz.com

Performing Arts Market in Seoul

The Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS), held annually since 2005, is Korea’s premier contemporary performing arts event and a platform for Korean and international performing arts professionals. The 19th edition of PAMS will be held alongside Journey to Korean Music, a platform for the international circulation of Korean music. In addition, PAMS will offer booth exhibitions promoting art troupes and their works as well as academic and networking events.

DATE: Oct. 11-14, 2023
VENUE: National Theater of Korea, Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, and JCC Art Center
WEBSITE : www.pams.or.kr

Strolling through Nature: The Dongsan Park Joohwan Collection

Strolling through Nature: The Dongsan Park Joohwan Collection features 88 paintings from a collection of Park Joohwan (1929-2020), the founder of DongSanBang Gallery in Seoul. The gallery opened in 1974 in Park’s former mounting shop in Insa-dong, the neighborhood famous for its arts and crafts shops and art galleries. It promotes modern and contemporary art by presenting established and new artists from Korea and Asia and hosting experimental exhibitions.

DATE: May 18, 2023 to Feb. 12, 2024
VENUE: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Gwacheon
WEBSITE : www.mmca.go.kr

MMCA Hyundai Motor Series: Jung Yeon-doo

Visual artist Jung Yeon-doo has been selected as creator for the 10th MMCA Hyundai Motor Series. As part of the expansive solo exhibition, the artist plans to introduce five new works, including a video installation titled Century’s Journey, which explores the Korean diaspora in Mexico from the early 20th century. The annual program, organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in partnership with the Hyundai Motor Company, is designed to support mid-career Korean artists. Jung has been widely acclaimed at home and abroad for his photographs, videos, and installations that raise questions about the relationships between reality and images, reality and illusion, and the individual and society.

DATE: Sept. 6, 2023 to Feb. 25, 2024
VENUE: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Seoul
WEBSITE : www.mmca.go.kr

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Arts and Culture Calendar
September to November