Busan Biennale 2018

With the timely theme of divided territories, the Busan Biennale 2018 - Divided We Stand - runs from 8 September to 11 November, with a large programme involving artists from Korea and around the world.

The theme of this biennial is that of divided territories as it is reflected in artists’ work from around the world. Torn apart are not only territories – nations, or formerly ethnically connected regions, usually by war, colonization and/or hostile estrangement – but also, importantly, psyches.

What kind of sentiments and conditionings does the splitting of territories induce in people’s minds in general, and artistic minds specifically? Vice versa, what kinds of mindsets induce the splitting in the first place?

Take a look at the artists and artworks featured in this year's event.

The Busan Biennale is a biannual international contemporary art show that integrated three different art events held in the city in 1998: the Busan Youth Biennale, the first biennale of Korea that was voluntarily organized by local artists in 1981; the Sea Art Festival, an environmental art festival launched in 1987 with the sea serving as a backdrop; and the Busan International Outdoor Sculpture Symposium that was first held in 1991. The biennale was previously called the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival (PICAF) before it launched.