Seeking Artistic Director for 2020 edition

The Busan Biennale Organizing Committee (hereinafter referred to as the committee, executive director Seong-Youn Kim) is holding open recruitment to select the next artistic director to plan Busan Biennale 2020. Applications will be accepted between May 15 and June 3. The committee will conduct reviews before making its final artistic director selection in July 2019.

The committee previously used open recruitment to select the artistic director of Busan Biennale 2018. Numerous planners from Korea and overseas applied at the time, showing their active commitment to new discourses in contemporary art. Organized under the theme Divided We Stand, Busan Biennale 2018 drew praise as an intensive exhibition examining an era of division and antagonism. The exhibition was also selected for first place honors in an assessment of 2018 biennale exhibitions in Korea by the Korea Arts Management Service, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

To promote the transparent and rational management of the follow-up exhibition to Busan Biennale 2018 and discover new curators, the committee is adopting the open recruitment approach once again to select the Busan Biennale 2020 artistic director. As the 20th anniversary of the committee’s establishment, the year 2020 could also be seen as an occasion for taking the next step forward in transforming one of Asia’s representative biennales into a global biennale exhibition. The individual(team) selected as artistic director will be responsible for directing the exhibition—including selection of the theme, artists, and artworks and related budgeting—and for planning exhibition-related events. The artistic director will also be responsible for duties related to publicity and funding. Busan Biennale 2020 is scheduled to take place in September 2020.

Requirements
–Capability of and commitment to exhibitions that embody the identity, history, culture, and future of the Busan Biennale and city of Busan for the committee’s 20th anniversary
–Understanding of and expertise in contemporary art and the ability to communicate effectively with artists and related experts
–High level of understanding of the biennial system and experience with curating either a biennale or exhibitions at an international scale and of roughly equivalent character and content
–Ability to contribute to international networking by the committee

Korean and overseas planners seeking to reply to the recruitment (either individually or in teams) should submit a CV and exhibition proposal of up to three pages. Following the 20-day recruitment period, the committee will finalize its interview candidates based on the decision of its recommendation committee, at which point the selected candidates will be asked to submit a second proposal. As a final stage, the selection committee will conduct reviews based on proposal presentations and on-site interviews, and the final artistic director selection will be made.

For detailed information, click here.

The Busan Biennale originated with the Busan Youth Biennale, an event staged in 1981 as a voluntary effort by young people in the city of Busan. The event later became known as the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival (PICAF). As the Busan Biennale, it has been held a total of nine times between 2002 and 2018 in the pursuit of new possibilities for contemporary art and an experimental spirit. Emerging as it did from the pure commitment of Busan-area artists, the Busan Biennale is rooted in native energy and youth. A coastal city in southern South Korea, Busan has played a pivotal role in the country’s contemporary history, while the Busan Biennale’s exhibitions have been characterized by their openness and dynamism.