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Events·Programs
2026 GB TALKS #1 "Circulating Images, Shared Songs"
Conceived in the year of the 16th Gwangju Biennale (2026), GB TALKS is a discussion series that engages with ideas around the Biennale. Taking place across two sessions in March and November in Seoul and Gwangju, the programme opens on 13 March in Seoul with a first event that examines historical and media contexts of the 1980s, with Gwangju as a central point of reference.
This session of GB TALKS focuses on media that were easily reproducible and widely circulated—video tapes, cassette tapes, and woodblock prints—which played an important role during South Korea’s democratic movement in the 1980s. More than tools of documentation, these media facilitated the circulation of images, songs, and messages under conditions of censorship and control, fostering new forms of collective expression and social connection. Through specific case studies, the session considers how these media intersected with social movements of the time, and how each medium shaped the forms and conditions of artistic practice.
The programme brings together Han Jae Sup, who has researched and archived the history of video movements and alternative moving-image distribution in Gwangju; Choi Yu Jun, whose work engages with Korean music culture, including university song festivals; and Hong Sung-dam, an artist who developed woodblock printing as a tool for self-education and collective practice through the Citizens Art School. Drawing on their respective research and experiences, the session explores the relationships between art, social movements, and media in their historical specificity.
📌 Program Information
Date/Time: 13 March 2026 (Fri), 16:00–19:00
Venue: SeMA Hall, Seoul Museum of Art (B1, 61 Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Speakers: Choi Yu Jun (Professor, Honam Studies, Chonnam National University), Han Jae Sup (Director, Gwangju Independent Film Theater), Hong Sung-dam (Artist),
Ho Tzu Nyen (Artistic Director, 16th Gwangju Biennale); Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee and Brian Kuan Wood (Curator, 16th Gwangju Biennale)
Registration: Free admission, first-come-first-served (up to 80 seats) via Google Form https://forms.gle/GCuQYGqvaJC7Zmzb8
(*On-site entry may be available depending on capacity)
Interpretation: Korean-English simultaneous interpretation provided
Inquiries: +82 (0)62-608-4285
📌 Program Schedule
16:00-16:05 Opening Remark by Youn Bummo (President, Gwangju Biennale Foundation)
16:05-16:20 Opening Note by Ho Tzu Nyen (Artistic Director, 16th Gwangju Biennale)
16:20-16:50 Gwangju/Video, Politics of Rumor and Image by Han Jae Sub (Director, Gwangju Independent Film Theater)
16:50-17:20 Sound, Media, Musicking by Choi Yu Jun (Professor, Department of Honam Studies, Chonnam National University)
17:20-17:30 Break
17:30-18:00 Discussion with Han Jae Sub and Choi Yu Jun, moderated by Che Kyongfa (Curator, 16th Gwangju Biennale)
18:00-18:30 Dialogue on the Citizens Art School between Hong Sung-dam (Artist) and Park Gahee (Curator, 16th Gwangju Biennale)
18:30-19:00 Q & A and Closing by Brian Kuan Wood (Curator, Gwangju Biennale)
