Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Busan Biennale
- Original source
- blog.naver.com
On Friday, August 28th, at 5 PM,
the opening ceremony of the 2026 Busan Biennale was held at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art!
The day before the public opening, participating artists, exhibition officials, and cultural figures from Korea and abroad gathered at the venue.
Let's take a look inside this year's Busan Biennale, featuring not only the official opening ceremony but also the main artworks!✨
Are you ready to be captivated by art?
The theme of the 2026 Busan Biennale is 'Dissident Chorus'!
From August 29th to November 1st, for 65 days,
the event will take place at three locations: the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Space Wonji, and the former Busan Nam High School.
A total of 46 artists and teams from 22 countries will participate.
The co-curators of the exhibition are Evelyn Simons and Amal Khalaf.
- The opening ceremony began with a choir performance
The ceremony kicked off with a congratulatory performance by the Yeongdo Municipal Women's Choir.
The choir performance, where various voices create a single resonance, resonated with this year's theme of 'Dissident Chorus'.
Following the performance, key guests were introduced, and with the opening declaration by Busan Mayor Park Jae-soo, the 2026 Busan Biennale officially commenced!
Next, co-curators Evelyn Simons and Amal Khalaf took the stage to introduce the exhibition's direction and the questions posed by this year's Biennale.
Participating artists who contributed to the exhibition were also introduced, and the atmosphere felt very much like an international art event as artists from both Korea and abroad greeted each other!
- From a 'visual exhibition' to an 'auditory exhibition'
After the official event, we explored the main artworks at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art with the curators✨
Upon entering the exhibition space, the first thing that struck me was 'sound'.
Unlike typical art exhibitions where visitors observe works in silence, music, voices, and repetitive rhythms flowed from various corners!
Walking through walls and floors with projected videos, dim lighting, and installations, it felt as if the audience stepped into the artwork itself!
This Biennale uses sound as a material through installations, sound, performances, video, sculpture, and song, showcasing body and collective memory in new ways.
- The striking 'Ten Thousand Dreams' by Ryu Seong-sil
Among the works seen on the opening day, Ryu Seong-sil's 'Ten Thousand Dreams' particularly caught my eye.
The scene of various figures layered on a red lift, singing together with music, created a familiar yet peculiar atmosphere.
This work uniquely unravels societal expectations to continuously dream, achieve, and move forward. Initially, I was drawn to the amusing appearance, but the longer I looked, the more I pondered what we are continually striving towards.
- Gestures, hats, and the music of gatherings as art
In the exhibition space, not only paintings and sculptures but also gestures and sounds that we usually overlook become the language of art.
From works recording countless hand movements and gestures to hats inscribed with phrases, and installations evoking the culture and music of gatherings, the expressions were diverse!
Watching seemingly unrelated images and voices converge in one space began to make me understand the title 'Dissident Chorus' little by little.
- An exhibition where the entire space becomes a work
In this Biennale, experiencing the whole space is more important than just viewing one artwork.
The repetitive videos on large screens, reflections on the floor, drums and microphones bathed in red light, and drawings along the walls created entirely different atmospheres in each exhibition space.
Instead of immediately moving to the next space after reading the artwork descriptions, I recommend pausing for a moment to listen to the surrounding sounds.
Sounds that were initially inaudible may emerge later, and overlapping sounds from adjacent exhibition rooms create unexpected scenes.
This Busan Biennale is closer to an experience of seeing, hearing, and walking through spaces than just a 'visual exhibition'!
- Three exhibition spaces from Busan Museum of Contemporary Art to Yeongdo
The 2026 Busan Biennale does not end at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art.
The three locations—Busan Museum of Contemporary Art in Eulsukdo, Space Wonji in Yeongdo, and the former Busan Nam High School, which was used as a school until early this year—form a single exhibition.
The confluence of the Nakdong River and the sea in Eulsukdo and the traces of the port in Yeongdo, along with the school that students have left behind, create unique stories with each artwork!
Rather than viewing all artworks in one venue, this year's Biennale is characterized by moving through the city of Busan to experience the exhibition.
If you are planning a unique cultural trip to Busan this fall,
I recommend using the free shuttle to visit the two exhibition spaces in Yeongdo instead of just seeing the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art.
Location:
1. Busan Museum of Contemporary Art
1191 Nakdongnam-ro, Saha-gu, Busan
2. Space Wonji
214 Bongraenaru-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan
3. Former Busan Nam High School
5 Junglibuk-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan
✔ Admission Fee:
- Busan Museum of Contemporary Art
16,000 won for adults / 8,000 won for youth and military personnel / 5,000 won for children
- Space Wonji and Former Busan Nam High School
Free
✔ Operating Hours (Duration):
- Exhibition Period
From August 29 to November 1, 2026, for a total of 65 days
- Visiting Hours
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Last Entry
5:00 PM for Busan Museum of Contemporary Art and Former Busan Nam High School
5:30 PM for Space Wonji
- Closed on Mondays (open during Chuseok and public holidays)
Source :https://blog.naver.com/busanto1115/224403430334
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