‘Manifesto of Spring’ collaboration between Creative Cities of Media Arts Gwangju and Karlsruhe
The exhibition Manifesto of Spring (until 22 February 2026) brings the UNESCO Creative Cities of Media Arts Gwangju and Karlsruhe into an international dialogue on the role of art, society, and democracy in challenging times. The exhibition is co-curated by the National Asian Culture Center (Gwangju), M+ (Hong Kong), and the ZKM | Center for Art and Media (Karlsruhe) and is held at the National Asian Culture Center, Korea.
In a time of global crises and political upheavals, the exhibition asks what future democracies might look like and how a sustainable, collective future can be shaped. Asian countries that have experienced democratic transformations in recent decades, like the rest of the world, face new challenges: fragile democracies, rising fascism, brutal wars, unleashed trade conflicts, and the catastrophic consequences of the climate crisis. Manifesto of Spring explores how, in the face of these multiple crises, a genuine, participatory democratisation can be maintained and our relationship with the planet reimagined.
Following the launch of the project with a two-day conference in October 2024, the National Asian Culture Center (ACC) now celebrates its 10th anniversary with the exhibition Manifesto of Spring, reflecting on the possibilities of future democracies. The exhibition features artistic positions, including thirteen works commissioned specifically for this occasion, addressing capitalism, globalisation, colonialism, and the climate crisis. The works invite visitors to engage in thought experiments that consider the web of life—the interconnectedness of all living beings with their social and natural environments.