2020 Changwon Sculpture Biennale

On September 24, 2020, the Changwon Sculpture Biennale, hosted by Changwon City, Korea and organized by the Changwon Cultural Foundation, was held as scheduled. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the biennale, which is of great significance. There were 34 countries and regions, with 80 artists and groups participating in this biennale. Three Chinese artists, Li Hongbo, Ren Hongwei, and Liu Shuiyang, participated in this biennale. This year's artistic director is Mr. Kim Sungho, a renowned Korean critic and curator.

The theme of this biennale is "Non-sculpture-Light or Flexible". Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony was held online. This is also a special feature of this Changwon Sculpture Biennale. Fortunately, we are in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution where VR, AR and other technologies are spreading, and "online and offline connection and interaction" will also be the trend of development in many industries.

The starting point of the Changwon Sculpture Biennale was the Moon Shin International Sculpture Symposium held in 2010 to commemorate the sculptor Moon Shin. It was later renamed to expand Moon Shin's artistic spirit and the first Changwon Sculpture Biennale was held in 2012. The themes of previous editions were "Dream Island", "Moon Shadow", "Hundred Million Living Creatures", "Buddhist Enlightenment Balance", and this year will welcome the fifth edition.

The theme of this biennale - "Non-sculpture-Light or Flexible" was inspired by three parts. First, it was proposed by art critic Rosalind Krauss in her paper "Sculpture in the Expanded Field". Professor Krauss sought the concept of non-landscape and non-sculpture in the way that landscape and architecture meet sculpture. Curator Kim Sungho extended this concept to the theme of this year's biennale. He emphasizes the bidirectional language of sculpture's self-reflection and self-examination. This poses a certain challenge for artists participating in the biennale.

The second is the Korean sculptor Lee Seungtaek of experimental art. In particular, inspiration was drawn from Lee Seungtaek's essay "The Origin of My Non-Sculpture" (1980). Resisting the heritage of Western modern sculpture, he clarified the concept of "non-sculptural experiments towards sculpture" and completely inherited "non-sculpture".

Third, "non-sculpture" broadly embodies the "non-material aesthetics" of Korea and the East, which is also a concept actively proposed at this biennale.

In Mr. Kim Sungho's introduction, this biennale will become a process of finding answers to the question "why non-sculpture". For experts, this is a brand new attempt, but how to make the general public understand this seemingly profound aesthetic concept is a major topic and also a challenge.

Korean artist Paik Nam June's "Spring in Changwon"
93 TV screens, 350 X 700 cm (picture above)
Finnish artist Kaarina Kaikkonen, "Part of Us"
Men's wool jackets, wooden structure, 2020
Exhibition scene at Changwon City Seongsan Art Hall

On January 8, 2020, Mr. Kim Sungho and his team visited Artron Cultural Group's Beijing company and also introduced the theme and related activities of this biennale. At the same time, they also visited various business divisions of the Artron Group, and through this visit, they learned about the current situation of Chinese culture and art.

Regarding the artists participating in the biennale, Mr. Kim Sungho and his team visited the studios of outstanding Chinese sculptors to learn about the situation of Chinese sculpture. At the same time, they learned about the artists' art and lifestyle. Mr. Kim Sungho expressed his hope for more exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese contemporary art community in the future.

This year's biennale has expanded and strengthened online promotion. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to professional websites, promotion on social media has been increased. In particular, this year's media promotion targeted Changwon citizens for the first time, with more than 50 local residents participating in viewing the biennale activities through social media. The number of webpage visits for the online exhibition surged in the 14 days from September 30 to October 13. The number of self-media subscribers increased 10 times compared to the previous year. These data demonstrate the various efforts to promote the Changwon Sculpture Biennale.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, the Changwon Cultural Foundation has strictly followed preventive measures and implemented flow restrictions at the exhibition venue since October 5. In addition to visiting the exhibition, this year's biennale has also built content that people of all ages and professions can enjoy, promoting the completion of the biennale while operating stable programs. The experiential projects conducted at this biennale have been sold out. From the face-to-face display, it has received unanimous praise from the beginning.

Korean artist Yee SooKyung's "Translated Vase"
Ceramic fragments, 24K gold foil, 230 X 190 X 165m, 2020