August 11, 2014 | Gwangju Biennale Foundation

"Look Together" performance by Non Grata

The special project for the 20th anniversary of the Gwangju Biennale, Sweet Dew - Since 1980, opened August 8, kicking off three months of city-wide performances, roundtable talks, international lectures and a major exhibition at the Gwangju Museum of Art. The title was taken from a style of Joseon Dynasty-era Buddhist painting, known for its themes of suffering and healing. The project will initiate dialogue ahead of the open of the 10th Gwangju Biennale next month, reevaluating the city’s past and present, and will continue through November 9.

A symposium featuring Kasper König (artistic director of Sculpture Projects M\FC;nster and Manifesta 2014), Hou Hanru (director of MAXXI in Rome), and Okwui Enwezor (artistic director of Venice Biennale 2015) via Skype on opening day was hosted by the project’s associate curator Maurizio Bortolotti and attended by more than 150 people. Entitled “The Groundbreakers,” the event included introductions to each participant’s influential career.

Following the talks were late-night performances on Geumnam-ro, a major thoroughfare through the old downtown area and the site of the May 18, 1980 uprising. May 18 Relay Art saw 100 artists painting themes of the civil movement and the more recent Sewol ferry disaster onto canvases placed along the length of the street. They worked from 9pm to 3am the following morning, the quiet punctuated by diverse performances. Eight groups of performers hailing from five countries gave shows that reflected on the five emotions as dictated by “o-gam-jeong” (love, passion, fairness, friendship and optimism). Featured were Antoni Karwowski (Poland), Arti Grabowsky (Poland) Rocio Boliver (Mexico), Non Grata (Estonia), Riccardo Attanasio (Italy), and Neung Kyung Sung, Kyeong Hwa Park, Gwang Cheol Gim and Dong Chang Lee from Korea. A special last-minute performance by Yamagata Tweakster wrapped up the night.

An exhibition under the same Sweet Dew title at the Gwangju Museum of Art unfolds over the institution’s six gallery halls. The show features 49 artists from 17 countries, expressing statements on such themes as reality, society and history. Regionally, it will lead to a new understanding of the importance of the Northeast Asian belt that connects Okinawa, Jeju and Taiwan. In terms of art history, it will shed more light on Kathe Kollwitz, who was a resistant artist during Nazi times, Lu Xun of China who led the woodcut movement of the 1930s, and Ben Shahn of the United States. It will also showcase the paintings of former Korean “comfort women,” or women enslaved into prostitution during the Japanese occupation.

In addition, from August 22 to September 14, the Gwangju Bus Daily project will bring art to the public transportation system. Local artists will take over Bus No. 518 and the Asian Culture Complex bus stop. On Kim will work on the announcement message; Bi-Ho Ryu will recite poems while repeatedly performing certain movements with other members of the guitar club. Young-Joo Cho will perform an impromptu arrangement of southern folk songs at the various Gwangju Follies. Mi-Rai Jeon will create the sound of horses’ hooves together with members of the Gwangju Amateur Tap Dance Club. Artist duo corner art space, comprised of Ji-Yoon Yang and Hye-Rim Lee will also contribute.

“The Gwangju mentality is found in everyday life, our stories and in these city spaces,” says Mu-Yong Lee, curator of the performances and professor at Chonnam National University. “A single drop of ‘sweet dew’ germinates the seed of hope and dreams in order to heal our wounds, which is why these street performances are being held right on Geumnam-ro, the site of the uprising and a place from everyday life.”

Further outdoor performances will be held from September 2-4 on Geumnam-ro, also called “May Road.” These Madanggeuk shows will be innovative creations from traditional groups, including Man Sik Yoon, Social Comedy Theater Gulpan, Gyul, Kkokdugwangdae, Theater Company Shinmyoung and Tobaki Theater.

A full list of lectures, performances and events is available online at www.gwangjubiennale.org/eng.