Naju City, Jeollanam-do, will hold the ‘Yeongsangang International Installation Art Festival 2023’ at 10 historical and cultural sites within the city from October 20 to November 30.
According to the city on the 26th, this art festival, under the theme ‘Flow, Ten Resonances,’ will feature 15 domestic and international artists working in diverse fields such as sculpture, installation, and video media.
Yeongsangang International Installation Art Festival 2023, Poster of Ten Elasticities of Flow. [Photo by Naju City]
The domestic participating artists include Kang Yong-myeon, Kim Gye-hyun, Kim Kyung-min, Kim Byung-ho, Nam Ji-hyung, Min Seong-hong, Park Il-jeong, Eom A-rong, Lee Sang-yong, Lee I-nam, and Jo Eun-pil, totaling 11 artists. The overseas artists are Anton (Germany), Nguyen Khoi (Vietnam), Naoko Tosa (Japan), and Hai Thu (Vietnam), totaling 4 artists.
They plan to showcase site-specific installation artworks in connection with the integrated festival ‘2023 Naju Festival, Yeongsangang is Alive,’ held from October 20 to 29.
The installation sites include the Old Naju Station, Old Hwanam Industry, Nabillera Culture Center, Geumhakheon inside the Naju Magistrate’s Residence, Seoseongmun Gate, Naju Hyanggyo Confucian School, Geumseonggwan, Naju Rice Mill, Yeongsanpo Lighthouse, and Yeongsan Ferry, totaling 10 locations.
The city selected locations that embody Naju’s long history from the Joseon Dynasty through the Japanese colonial period and post-liberation era up to the 1970s. Artworks appropriate to the historical significance of each site will be installed, providing an opportunity to enjoy both historical and artistic tours.
Baek Jong-ok, the artistic director overseeing the exhibition, stated, “Living things flow continuously. The Yeongsangang River has witnessed the birth of Naju and has flowed through its history, still alive and flowing strongly today. Just as the Yeongsangang flows alive, Naju’s history and culture also breathe and live. The scattered heritage of Naju should not be merely objects of old memories but should be revitalized as vibrant cultural and artistic spaces,” explaining the concept behind the exhibition.
The opening event of the exhibition will be held on the 19th at 3 p.m. in the square in front of the Old Naju Station.
During the exhibition period, the city plans to hold various side events linked to the art exhibition, including audience participation programs such as healing yoga and sculpture making (scheduled for October 22), art tours with the artistic director and curators (scheduled for October 29), and an academic seminar (scheduled for November 11).
For more details, inquiries can be made to the Naju City Cultural Arts Special Planning Team.
Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “This installation art festival is an art project that connects the historical significance, locality, public nature, and artistry unique to the thousand-year-old magistrate town of Naju, creating new meanings. It is expected to greatly contribute to establishing Naju as a refined art city, a city of regeneration through cultural content, a vibrant festival city, and to the era of 5 million tourists visiting Naju.”
Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong baekok@asiae.co.kr
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