[September 20th, 2016] The Busan Biennale 2016 is beingheld for eighty nine days from September 3 to November 30 at the Busan Museumof Art and the F1963 (KISWIRE Suyeong factory) under the theme ¡®Hybridizing Earth, Discussing Multitude¡¯.

Busan Biennale 2016 Consisting of Three Projects

The Busan Biennale 2016 is composed ofexhibitions (Project 1 and Project 2) and various cultural art programs(Project 3). Through this, it escapes from the existing concept of anexhibition being divided into a main exhibition and a special exhibition. Inthis exhibition, exhibitions and programs are blended together under one themecalled Hybridizing Earth, Discussing Multitude. The exhibitions aredivided into Project 1 which deals with avant-garde art of China, Japan and Koreabefore the 1990¡¯s and Project 2 which deals with the global Biennale systemthat has emerged since the 1990¡¯s. Project 3 is composed of academic programsand seminars which intensively examine the relationship between these two asartists and scholars of various religions, races and nationalities are gatheredtogether.

Implementing an In-Depth Exhibition through theOrganization of Curators

The Busan Biennale 2016 will be preparing theexhibition by selecting professional curators from China, Japan and Korea ledby Artistic Director YUN Cheagab. Five Curators from three countries (GUO Xiaoyanfrom China, SAWARAGI Noi, TATEHATA Akira and UEDA Yuzo from J-team of Japan,and KIM Chan-Dong of Korea) intensively showcases the contemporary experimentalart emerging from each country in Project 1 of Busan Biennale 2016.

TheLargest Busan Biennale Ever Using the Entire Area of F1963 (KISWIRE SuyeongFactory)

Project 2 of Busan Biennale 2016 is being held atF1963 (KISWIRE Suyeong Factory) through the full support of KISWIRE. This year,the entire area, which is about 9,900m², is utilized contrary to thefact that a part of entire area was used as the exhibition site for the specialexhibition of Busan Biennale 2014. The F1963 area, where an architect named ChoByung Soo is in charge of remodeling, will be reborn as a new complex culturalspace as it cherishes the original appearance of the factory. The originalappearance of the factory remains untouched and is expected to become a spaceto show the essence of Hybridizing Earth, Discussing Multitude, thetheme of Busan Biennale 2016. The square located at the center of theexhibition hall plays a role of a public sphere where academic events andperformances are being held.

Project 1, an/otheravant-garde china-japan-korea to Leave Significance in the HistoricalAspects of Contemporary Art

Project 1 of Busan Biennale 2016 has greatsignificance in the historical aspects of contemporary art from the fact thatit is the first exhibition to examine the avant-garde contemporary art of China,Japan and Korea. Project 1 to be held at the Busan Museum of Art under thetheme of an/other avant-gardechina-japan-korea intends to ruminate on the experimental art of the threeAsian countries that has been forgotten and provide a balanced perspective onthe world¡¯s history of contemporary art. China deals with the times ofresistance and conflict starting with the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolutionup to the Beijing Spring and Tiananmen Square Incident from 1976 to 1995 whileJapan deals with avant-garde art such as Gutai Group, Mono-ha and Superflatfrom the atomic bombing of Hiroshima until the end of the 1980¡¯s. In the caseof Korea, it deals with the fields of Korea¡¯s contemporary art, that had beenovershadowed by Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) and Minjung Misul(People¡¯s art), such as conceptual art, happenings, and media among theexperimental art from the 1960¡¯s to the 1980¡¯s.

Various Programs Operated with the Exhibitions

At Busan Biennale 2016, various cultural artprograms (Project 3) are planned to be held together along with the exhibitionsto make the event even more abundant. Project 3 has enhanced the atmosphere forthe opening of Busan Biennale 2016 by having a warming-up party for two days onAugust 17^th and August 27^th while various programs suchas international academic programs, education programs, channel B, and othersare planned during the exhibition period to express the exhibition themethrough various perspectives and genres. Project 3 maintains a balance with theexhibitions and present academic discourse as a mediator to connect Project 1and Project 2.

TheRealization of the Exhibition Based on an Online Platform in Collaboration withGoogle

The Busan Biennale 2016 is in collaboration with the Google CulturalInstitute so as to allow everyone around the world to appreciate the artworkson display at the biennale online. The Google Cultural Institute is anon-profit online exhibit site launched by Google that enables anyone acrossthe globe to appreciate cultural heritage such as cultural properties,documentaries, and historic sites. It also works to preserve them throughpartnerships with 1,200 cultural and artistic institutions from 70 countriesaround the world. The site features a wide variety of works with cultural andartistic value including more than 200,000 works of contemporary art and over 6million artworks, photographs, videos, and manuscripts. The biennale makes itsexhibits available and accessible to everyone around the world via Google'swebsite and app in collaboration with the company. Those interested may searchfor artworks by year and color and appreciate them while guided by audiodescriptions. Even after the biennale reaches its conclusion, ¡°DiscussingMultitude¡± will still be able to unfurl in your hands through an exhibitionbased on an online platform that is open to the public across the world.

The progress in and process of the Busan Biennale 2016 isbeing consistently posted on the Busan Biennale official website.(www.busanbiennale.org)