Seoul Mediacity Biennale 2018: Eu Zên

The 10th edition of Seoul Mediacity Biennale 2018 (formerly SeMA Biennale: Mediacity Seoul) has diverged from the previous structure of appointing a singular artistic director and has invited professionals from different fields as a directorial collective to create a discursive public sphere. This edition’s biennale theme is Eu Zên, a Greek language which means a “good life.” The biennale includes not only intellectuals from a broad range of fields such as art, economy, environment, politics, society and technology, but also aims for an exhibition that is open to the general public. In its attempt to maximize people’s access to culture and art, it aims to provide opportunities for a new social shift.

“Good Life” has been the most crucial point of reference for humankind in establishing its being. The specific content of a good life differs according to elements such as time, space and culture. Yet on the other hand, in those countless variations of the form of a good life, there are certainly common denominators to be found. Eudanomia, or in other words the flourishing life that develops through awakening the desires and abilities dormant in the human body and mind, could be named as the first denominator. The second common denominator is the fact that exploration based on endless discussions is necessary to grasp what a good life means to an individual.

Seoul Mediacity Biennale 2018 aims to explore and discuss with the multitude what this notion of a “good life” and to identify creative and future-oriented alternative values that are “Noch Nicht (Not yet), but already noticeable. Biennale participants are not confined to contemporary visual artists but include ”new practitioners“ such as activists, planners, researchers who demonstrate creative forth in different fields of life. The space Agora is installed in the middle of the museum’s 1st floor as a place where the public and the private matters intersect and people can discuss ”good life“ which is a political and public issue as well as an individual and private question at the same time. Through the whole Biennale, a great number of lectures, talks, performances will be presented centered around Agora.
 

Participants:
Approximately 68 artists and experts including Yeon Ock Ko and JAT Project, Minja Gu, Wol Sik Kim+Seems Like Community, Hyun Tak Kim, Kyung Ae Ro, Treasure Island Collective (Dongchan Kim, Seonghong Min, Mingyu Song, Jinyo Choi, Seokjun Ha, Gyunghyun Hwang), Unmapping Eurasia, Jungtae Eun, Ignito, Soyung Lee, Ki-Hyun Jung, Yunkyung Hur, ByungJun Kwon, kook+, Dirk Fleischmann, meetingroom, seendosi, SEAWEED, Jeoung Jae Choul, Women with Disabilities Empathy, Disabled Women’s Theatre Group <Dancing Waist>, Critical Art Ensemble, factory collective, Sangdon Kim, Yangachi, mixrice, Hyeng Joon Park, Kate Raworth, Michel Bauwens, Richard G. Wilkinson, Zero Space, Welfarestate Youth Network·Youthzone Yangcheon, Ryu Hankil, Listen to the City, Kearn-Hyung Ahn, Wonhwa Yoon, Jeewon Yoon, Archive of the People, Choi Haneyl, Display Distribute (co-edited with Kunci and Read-in), Dušan Barok and Monoskop, Sey Min, Lauren McCarthy, Luba Elliott, David Ha, Oscar Sharp & Ross Goodwin, Mario Klingemann, Mike Tyka, MODULABS (Seungil Kim), Scott Kelly & Ben Polkinghorne, Shinseungback Kimyonghun, Jihoon Jeong, Gene Kogan, Seung Joon Choi, Namwoo Bae, Dan Chen, Sam Lavigne, Sterling Crispin, Adam Harvey, Aram Bartholl, Nadja Buttendorf, Ed Brown, Addie Wagenknecht, Eva and Franco Mattes, Elisa Giardina Papa, Jeremy Bailey, Seongil Choi・Rike Glaser, Project KOVR, Adbusters Media Foundation, Tak Young Hwan・Lee Kyung Nam, Greenpeace East Asia Seoul Office