Mayor Jeong Inhwa and Mayor of Linz Agree on Cooperation
Laying the Foundation for a Leap into Global Media Art
On September 10, Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province announced that a delegation led by Mayor Jeong Inhwa visited Linz, Austria from the 1st for a six-day, four-night schedule, during which both cities agreed to further strengthen continuous and practical exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture and arts, economy, and education.
Through a media art networking event jointly organized by Gwangyang City and Linz, the two cities pledged to continue their cooperation and exchanges for the development of media art, using the Ars Electronica Center as a bridge.
Gwangyang City, led by Mayor Jeong Inhwa, visited Linz, Austria from the 1st to the 6th to strengthen continuous and practical exchanges and cooperation in culture, arts, economy, and education between the two cities. Provided by Gwangyang City
This commitment to ongoing exchange and cooperation was deeply discussed and promised during an official meeting with Linz Mayor Dietmar Prammer and a meeting with Christl Baur, the General Director of the Ars Electronica Festival.
This visit, made at the official invitation of Linz, included a ten-member delegation led by Mayor Jeong Inhwa and Gwangyang City Council Chairman Choi Daewon, who successfully completed a tightly packed official schedule.
On the first day of the visit, September 2, Mayor Jeong Inhwa and Mayor Dietmar Prammer of Linz held an official meeting. During this meeting, the two mayors reaffirmed the historical commonality that both Gwangyang and Linz have grown as cities based on the steel industry, and agreed to strengthen future cooperation in culture and arts, education, and economy, with a particular focus on ongoing media art exchanges.
In particular, Mayor Prammer emphasized that among Linz's 22 sister cities, Gwangyang is a leading partner with close exchanges, expressing a strong commitment to continued cooperation and reaffirming the solid friendship between the two cities.
On the 3rd, the 'Gwangyang-Linz Networking Event' was held in grand style at the PostCity Conference Hall in Linz, Austria. As the first outcome of the international media art exchange jointly promoted by Gwangyang and Linz, the event drew attention from cultural and artistic figures around the world.
During the event, Mayor Jeong presented the 'Exchange Grant' to Austrian representative artist Till Schenbeter, while the Mayor of Linz awarded the same grant to Korean representative artist Lee Jin.
The two selected artists will each showcase their works at the 2025 Ars Electronica Festival in September and the 2025 Gwangyang International Media Art Festival scheduled for October, realizing artistic exchange between the two countries.
In his congratulatory speech, Mayor Jeong stated, "Today's event, where Gwangyang and Linz collaborate to open the future of global media art, is a historic moment for both cities." He emphasized, "We will continue to expand the cultural and artistic ecosystem in solidarity with global creative cities and create ongoing opportunities for young artists to perform on the world stage."
On the last day of the visit, September 4, Mayor Jeong visited PostCity, the main venue of the Ars Electronica Festival, and held an in-depth meeting with Christl Baur, the festival's general director.
During the meeting, Mayor Jeong presented the grand vision for media art in Gwangyang City, stating that the Gwangyang International Media Art Festival will grow not as a one-time event, but as a cultural platform that embodies the city's identity and future strategy.
He also expressed his ambition to develop Gwangyang into Korea's center for media art, and further into a hub city for Asia and the world, proposing that the Ars Electronica Center join in this process of growth.
In response, General Director Christl Baur explained that the 'Gwangyang-Linz Exchange Event' will not remain a simple exchange exhibition, but will expand into a long-term platform that grows based on trust between cities and institutions. She emphasized that Gwangyang and Linz will form a cultural and artistic hub network connecting Asia and Europe, and that just as Linz has grown into Europe's leading media art city through the Ars Electronica Center, Gwangyang can also develop into Asia's media art hub.
The delegation also toured the Ars Electronica Center, guided by Executive Director Andreas Bauer, viewing the center's renowned works that blend art and technology and experiencing the world's leading media art incubator.
At the conclusion of the visit, Mayor Jeong shared his thoughts, stating, "This was a golden opportunity to further solidify ongoing media art exchanges and cooperation between Gwangyang and Linz, and to significantly contribute to raising our city's international status and expanding our network through collaboration with the Ars Electronica Center."
He also remarked, "It was a meaningful time that reinforced my confidence that Gwangyang, as an industrial city, can become a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts with a new cultural identity through the fusion of technology and art," expressing strong expectations for the innovative changes this will bring to the city's future.
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