ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

16th Gwangju Biennale Explores Transformation Under "You Must Change Your Life"

exhibition · 2026-06-10

The 16th Gwangju Biennale, titled "You Must Change Your Life," is under the curation of Ho Tzu Nyen, alongside co-curators Gahee Park, Brian Kuan Wood, and Che Kyongfa. This title draws inspiration from Rainer Maria Rilke's 1908 sonnet. The exhibition includes segments such as "Molecules and Me," "Bodies and Bonds," and "Cosmos and Change," all focused on the theme of transformation. Notable installations include James T. Hong's Apologies (2012– ), which showcases nightly projections of apologies from various officials, spanning from Hiroshi Saito's 1937 regret to the Dutch king's 2023 slavery apology. Additional featured works comprise Goldin+Senneby's Resin Pond (2026), Sasaki Ken's paintings, Maya Watanabe's Liminal (2019), and Amanda Heng's Another Woman in Gwangju (2026). Documentation of the biennale is provided by Jeon Byung Cheol, with a critique by Louis Lu.

Key facts

  • The 16th Gwangju Biennale is titled "You Must Change Your Life," taken from Rainer Maria Rilke's 1908 sonnet "Archaic Torso of Apollo."
  • Artistic director Ho Tzu Nyen leads the biennale with co-curators Gahee Park, Brian Kuan Wood, and Che Kyongfa.
  • James T. Hong's Apologies (2012– ) is projected each evening on the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall façade, featuring apologies from 1937 to 2023.
  • Goldin+Senneby's Resin Pond (2026) uses nearly two tons of pine resin to explore themes of autoimmunity and capital.
  • Sasaki Ken's more than 60 small paintings depict mundane objects, including a Tokyo sky after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
  • Maya Watanabe's Liminal (2019) shows close-ups of human remains from mass graves of Peru's internal armed conflict (1980–2000).
  • Mona Benyamin's videos Trouble in Paradise (2018) and Tomorrow, Again (2023) cast her parents in sitcom and newscast formats about Palestinian displacement.
  • Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork's Not Exactly BPM (Variation Rrose) (2026) is a deconstructed nightclub installation with sound-absorbing inflatables and a score built with Rrose.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Gwangju Biennale Foundation
  • Han Nefkens Foundation
  • Experimenter, Kolkata
  • National Center for Art Research, Japan (NCAR)
  • Tanoto Art Foundation (TAF)
  • Empty Gallery
  • Meyer Sound
  • ArtAsiaPacific
  • Gwangju Biennale
  • National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
  • Ministry of Culture of Taiwan
  • Chinese Embassy in Seoul
  • Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Seoul
  • Donggok Museum
  • Gallery SEEUM
  • Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research
  • Kapallorek Art Space
  • Palais de Tokyo
  • HIAP Helsinki
  • May Mothers House
  • Leeleenam Studio
  • Gwangju Civic Center
  • Dong-gu Inmunhakdang (House of Humanities)
  • ChungJang 22
  • Eunam Museum of Art
  • Gwangju Agricultural Technical High School
  • Jeju Stone Park
  • Le Journal des Arts
  • Pavillon populaire
  • Biennale de Lyon
  • Italian Pavilion
  • Donggok Museum of Art
  • Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul
  • Chonnam University
  • Louvre Museum
  • Galleria Martina Simeti
  • ATP DIARY

Locations

  • Gwangju
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • Tokyo
  • Fukushima
  • Peru
  • Palestine
  • Sulu Archipelago
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Amu Darya
  • Chillpiq
  • Warsaw
  • Netherlands
  • Berkeley
  • California
  • United States
  • Seoul
  • Taiwan
  • China
  • Paris
  • France
  • Helsinki
  • Finland
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
  • Italy
  • Jeju Island
  • Prague
  • Egypt
  • Singapore
  • Lyon

Sources

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