Gwangju City Reinvents Itself as a 'Global Creative Hub City'

JiMap Fosters Talent Through Digital Art Creation Support

Gwangju Media Art Hub Center Gwangju Media Art Platform (G.MAP) exterior view. [Photo by Gwangju City]

The 'Digital Art Culture Lab' project of Gwangju Media Art Platform (G.MAP, hereafter G.MAP), a media art hub center in the Gwangju region, is receiving great response.

The Digital Art Culture Lab project supports creative activities for digital artists, aspiring writers, students, and citizens. It is a project aimed at nurturing creators and producers in the digital art field through the operation of an open media art platform involving creators and citizens, and researching and developing content to be showcased at G.MAP.

This project has been underway for four months from last September until the end of this year. It consists of five categories according to the target groups: Incubating Lab, Project Lab, Research Lab, Citizen Lab, and Youth Lab, each providing customized programs specialized for their respective target groups.

The 'Incubating Lab' selects 15 aspiring artists and prospective entrepreneurs in the arts field who wish to enter the digital art sector and conducts the project. The 'Project Lab' aims to develop region-specific content and nurture emerging artists by extensively supporting the creative activities of digital art artists.

The 'Citizen Lab' for general citizens and the 'Youth Lab' for students aim to produce more than 90 graduates and currently operate one 9-hour course. The 'Research Lab' is an advisory group composed of experts in the digital art field, working to solidify the agenda for fostering Gwangju as a digital art hub.

G.MAP plans to exhibit the completed works of this project in December. Additionally, the works will be utilized in Gwangju's cultural spaces such as Media Wall, Creative Belt, and UNESCO Media Art Creative City exchange and cooperation projects.

Lee Kyung-ho, director of Gwangju Media Art Platform, stated, “We will do our best to enhance the status of Gwangju as a media art creative city and to establish it as a global hub city for digital art creation and production,” adding, “We hope this Culture Lab will serve as a stepping stone for artists and future creators passionate about digital art.”