Two large-scale international bi-annual art festivals open this autumn for those who want to enjoy both traditional Korean culture and the works of artists from around the world.
These two are the Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2011 and the Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011.
* Cheongju International Craft Biennale (September 22 – October 30)
The Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2011 kicked off its 40-day schedule on September 22.
Marking the biennale’s seventh anniversary, this year’s event will show craftworks of more than 3,000 artists from 65 countries on the theme of “Not Just New, but Necessary” in the City of Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do (North Chungcheong Province), until October 30.
This is the first bi-annual festival to be held in an art factory, since the event will be held in an old tobacco processing plant which has a history of more than 60 years.
This bi-annual event was initially designed to make Cheongju a center of the craft design industry and introduce the history and culture of the city where the oldest extant metal type printing, Buljo Jikji-simche-yojeol, meaning Selected Sermons of Buddhist Sages and Zen Masters, was made. UNESCO added Jikji to its Memory of the World Register in 1997.
(From left) The Cheongju International Craft Biennale opened on September 22 // People watch displays at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (photos courtesy of the Cheongju International Craft Biennale).
The main exhibition of the craft biennale focuses on contemporary crafts of the world, and other programs include a special exhibition titled “Chairs, Flow,” the 7th Cheongju International Craft Competition, the International Craft & Design Fair, an exhibition from Finland, an International Summit & Symposium, and special lectures and craft work classes.
At the main exhibition, visitors can see more than 800 pieces of artwork, including works of the world-famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and William Morris from the United Kingdom.
The special exhibition will show more than 400 artworks from 145 craft artists, including well-known architect Le Corbusier of Switzerland whose real name is Charles-Edouard Jeanneret.
People can see the crafts of nearly 160 Finnish artists and designers at the exhibition Finland, the official guest country.
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An exhibition from the guest country, Finland, at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (photos courtesy of Cheongju International Craft Biennale)
They can also see nearly 200 artworks from prize winners which will be displayed at the 7th Cheongju International Craft Competition.
For those who want to purchase works of art, the International Craft & Design Fair is a must-see place where visitors can see artwork from nearly 500 artists from both Korea and around the world and purchase various craft items, including furniture, glass, textile, ceramics, and metal works.
More information is available at the homepage (www.cheongjubiennale.or.kr) (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese).
* Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011 (September 24 – November 22)
The Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011 began its 60-day schedule on September 24.
Marking the sixth anniversary, the two-month event will be held in the cities of Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju of Gyeoggi-do (Gyeonggi Province) until November 22.
On the theme of “Journey from Fire,” this year’s festival aims to present a journey through the new environment by showing various ceramic works from international artists who try to cross the boundaries of ceramic art and enter into the practical world.
Ceramic artwork at the Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011
This year’s event aims to show the new direction of ceramic art; it will feature various artistic attempts at blending all genres of arts such as fine arts, crafts, music, and performance arts with ceramic art.
The main programs will be held at Icheon Cerapia, a ceramic art theme park where visitors can enjoy the beauty of more than 1,000 ceramic creations at four galleries. Visitors can also join ceramic-making classes which involve experiencing traditional ceramic kilns, glassware classes, and other ceramic art-related classes.
The Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, Korea’s first ceramic art museum, will hold a special exhibition on sanggam ceramics during the festival. Visitors can enjoy various ceramic works made with the sanggam method, in which intricate designs are carved into surfaces, and other materials are added to the forms. They can also see a joint ceramic art exhibition of Korean and Chinese artists which is held to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations.
Artwork displayed in the Sanggam ceramic arts exhibition at the Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011 (photos courtesy of the Gyeonggi International Ceramix Biennale 2011)
At Yeoju Doja Sesang (Yeoju Ceramic World, unofficial translation), another festival venue, visitors can enjoy both the beauty and practicality of ceramic artworks which are closely related to our daily life. At a special exhibition titled “Table Story,” they can see pottery artwork from around the world. People can also watch a ceramic fashion exhibition and purchase ceramic artwork made from more than 110 potteries in Korea.
Those who buy admission tickets will get a brooch for women, tie pin for men, or a pipe-shaped ceramic good for students instead of an ordinary paper ticket. Tickets cost 8,000 won for adults.
This event is hosted by Gyeonggi Province and sponsored by the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Knowledge Economy, Public Administration and Security and Education, Science and Technology.
More information is available at the homepage (http://www.gicbiennale.org/eng/index.asp) (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese).
Yoon Sojung
Korea.net
