Jeju Biennale to reveal history of 'drifting'

The fourth edition of Jeju Biennale will take place across the island from Nov. 26 to Feb. 16 under the theme “The Drift of Apagi: The Way of Water, Wind and Stars,” touching on the identity of the island.

Lee Jong-hoo, artistic director of the Jeju Biennale and director of Jeju Museum of Art, drew upon the “drift” theme to explore diverse aspects of the island, encompassing its culture, environment, migration and refugee history.

“Jeju Biennale is relatively less recognized compared to the Gwangju or Busan Biennale, as it has a short history,” Lee said on Monday in Seoul. “The upcoming biennale will show how it can be differentiated from other biennales with its own regional identity.”

Some 40 artists and collectives from 14 countries, including nine artists based in Jeju Island, are participating in this year's biennale, which will be held at venues across the central and western parts of the island -- Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art, Jeju International Convention Center, Jeju Art Platform and Folklore and Natural History Museum.

Among the participating artists is Jeju Island-based Yang Kura, who reinterprets discarded objects into sculptural collages, evoking environmental issues. Yang will show work about waste from Jeju Island that drifted away and was found on the Japanese island of Tsushima, which is located between the Korea Strait and Tsushima Strait.

Yang is conducting research on victims of the Jeju April 3 uprising and massacres -- which began March 1947 and continued through September 1954 -- and its traces on Tsushima Island, according to the biennale.

“We increased the number of artists from Jeju Island this year, especially those who have not participated in international art events before,” Lee said.

Lee pointed out that the budget for the biennale was slashed to around 1.2 billion won ($895,000), a cut of 600 million won from the previous edition.

The third edition of Jeju Biennale was held in November 2022 with the theme of “Flowing Moon, Embracing Land," directed by Park Nam-hee, the current director of Nam June Paik Art Center.