Biennale
비엔날레
A large international exhibition of contemporary art; the Italian word means "every two years".
01About
The Venice Biennale, first held in 1895, is the precedent most often named. In the 1990s biennials multiplied, and the number around the world grew from about five to more than 250. Korea's Gwangju Biennale was founded in September 1995. The fifth Jeju Biennale runs for 83 days, from 25 August to 15 November 2026, with 69 artists and teams across five venues. Its theme is a Jeju-dialect phrase, "허끄곡 모닥치곡 이야홍", roughly "mixing, gathering, stirring up the fun", and it is split into three sub-themes: exile, stone culture and myth. Exile is at the Jeju Museum of Art, stone culture at the Ogbaekjang Gallery of the Jeju Stone Park, and myth in three spaces in the old town.
02In the gallery
At each venue, first read the sub-theme at the entrance, then choose one work and think about how it connects to the main theme.
Wall label terms in Korean
- 비엔날레
- Biennale (biennial)
- 큐레이터
- Curator
- 소주제
- Sub-theme
03Notes
At a biennale, curators set a theme and the works are spread across sub-themes and venues.
Once a work sits under the theme, what more did you see in it?