Seoul Mediacity Biennale 2025 appoints Vidokle, Ayres, Brasiskis as artistic directors for 'exhibition-as-séance'

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale has selected Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis as its artistic directors following an open call process. Their curatorial approach centers on an 'exhibition-as-séance' concept, aiming to transcend conventional biennial frameworks by creating immersive experiences that blend waking reality with non-human dimensions. Opening in Autumn 2025, the exhibition will critically engage with contemporary issues through artworks connecting material and immaterial realms. Themes will span feminism, indigeneity, anticapitalism, and postcolonial discourse. Seoul's unique character as a city shaped equally by spiritual traditions and technological advancement will serve as a focal point. Vidokle brings experience from previous Gwangju Biennale presentations and a 2019 solo exhibition at MMCA, along with his role founding e-flux. Ayres's research examines how indigenous and Western knowledge systems intersect through spiritual frameworks. Brasiskis investigates cinematic media's capacity to convey perspectives beyond human experience. The biennial's organizers describe the project as moving away from neoliberal exhibition models toward constructing heightened perceptual encounters.