Changwon Sculpture Biennale this year will attempt to make sculptures more relatable to the audience.

Under the title of “The Balance of Non-Sculpting,” Changwon’s sculpture festival features sculptures and installation works by some 70 artists from 13 countries. The biennale runs from Sept. 4 to Oct. 14.

“In the past, sculpture parks put a distance between the viewers and sculptures, forcing and obligating viewers to revere the artworks like shrines,” said Youn Bum-mo, artistic director and chaired professor of art history at Dongguk University. “Chagwon Biennale’s sculpture park will be dedicated to drawing visitor participation,” Youn added.


The outdoor exhibition space at Yong-ji park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, features an area called “Yueoye” -- a term that appears in the “Analects of Confucius” -- where visitors can gather and interact with artworks. Sculptures will be installed in the space, which will also serve as a platform for artists to run programs.

The sculpture works to be permanently installed at the site include Wim Delvoye’s 2010 work “Concrete Mixer,” Mircia Dumitrescu’s “Man” and “Couple (Adam & Eve)” and Wolfgang Stiller’s “3Matchmen stick.” US artist Paul Chaleff’s 2018 production “Intention” will also be introduced at the biennale. 


Alongside well-known sculptors from abroad, Korean sculptors such as Gu Bon-ju and media artist Lee Lee-nam will have their works installed at Yueoye. A four-member team consisting of Ahn Jong-yuen, Yangkura, Kim Tae-un and Han Song-joon will also introduce a large-scale installation work titled “Amaranth” at the same site.

At Seongsan Art Hall, the works of 32 individual artists and artist groups will be on show. The list of artists includes ceramic sculpture artist Sohn Jung-hee, Lee Lee-nam, Lim Ok-Sang and Im Heung-soon. The biennale plans to introduce sculptures that use different kinds of materials, ranging from metal and ceramic to salt, hair and even videos.


American visual artist Sylvia Wald and Kim Bo-hyun, or Po Kim, will hold a special exhibition at Moonshin Museum. Another biennale venue, The House of Changwon, will present contemporary media artworks.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)