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By Ian Werther in News —

16th Gwangju Biennale Centers on Art's Transformative Power

The 16th Gwangju Biennale has announced its theme: “You must change your life,” drawn from the final line of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem Archaic Torso of Apollo. The festival is scheduled to run from September 5 to November 15 at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in southwest Korea.

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation said the theme centers on art’s transformative power in confronting a range of contemporary crises and urgent problems. The aim is to focus attention on how art can respond to pressing issues through a disruptive, catalytic force.

This edition will feature the smallest number of participating artists in the biennale’s history. The organizers say they are moving away from a broad, fragmented display toward works concentrated in the hands of a few artists to emphasize depth over breadth.

Yoonjai Choi, Glen Cummings, and Neil Donnelly Response by Michael Rock and Susan Sellers Presented as part of the Graphics Project, organized by Forrest Jessee Hear three different designers present three different book projects. The conversation will focus on current trends in graphic design as well as the process of designing and editing books for different audiences and purposes. The presentations will be followed by a discussion between the designers led by Michael Rock and Susan Sellers. Yoonjai Choi is a graphic designer and partner at Common Name. Prior to co-founding the studio, Yoonjai held an art director position at New York design studio 2×4 for 5 years, where she worked with a variety of clients including LACMA, Prada, OMA, Bernard Tschumi, MoMA PS1, Rafael Moneo, and Barneys New York. Glen Cummings is a designer and partner at MTWTF. MTWTF is a graphic design studio specializing in publications, environmental graphics and identity systems. Neil Donnelly is a graphic designer who often works with clients in architecture and art, including the Guggenheim, Yale University, Domus, Columbia University, The New York Times, Princeton Architectural Press, Storefront for Art and Architecture, and the Center for Urban Pedagogy. His work was included in the 2012 Brno Biennial of Graphic Design and has been featured at the Gwangju Design Biennale, the New Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Michael Rock and Susan Sellers are founders of studio 2x4. 2x4 is a global design consultancy headquartered in New York City with satellite studios in Beijing and Madrid. 2x4 focuses on brand strategy for cultural and commercial clients who value the power of design. Michael Rock is the Director of Graphical Architecture Studies at GSAPP. http://www.arch.columbia.edu
Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The program intends to illuminate how change operates across the body and society, and to highlight art’s capacity to move the world through persistent, long-term practice. It seeks to show that repeated artistic action can drive visible shifts in perception and experience.

Ho Tzu Nyen, the artistic director, described the show as offering visitors a journey through changes of varying scale and pace, noting that Gwangju is a city whose democratic ideals continue to resonate globally. The organizers emphasized that the shift toward deeper, more focused works will provide a distinctive viewing experience.

Yoonjai Choi, Glen Cummings, and Neil Donnelly Response by Michael Rock and Susan Sellers Presented as part of the Graphics Project, organized by Forrest Jessee Hear three different designers present three different book projects. The conversation will focus on current trends in graphic design as well as the process of designing and editing books for different audiences and purposes. The presentations will be followed by a discussion between the designers led by Michael Rock and Susan Sellers. Yoonjai Choi is a graphic designer and partner at Common Name. Prior to co-founding the studio, Yoonjai held an art director position at New York design studio 2×4 for 5 years, where she worked with a variety of clients including LACMA, Prada, OMA, Bernard Tschumi, MoMA PS1, Rafael Moneo, and Barneys New York. Glen Cummings is a designer and partner at MTWTF. MTWTF is a graphic design studio specializing in publications, environmental graphics and identity systems. Neil Donnelly is a graphic designer who often works with clients in architecture and art, including the Guggenheim, Yale University, Domus, Columbia University, The New York Times, Princeton Architectural Press, Storefront for Art and Architecture, and the Center for Urban Pedagogy. His work was included in the 2012 Brno Biennial of Graphic Design and has been featured at the Gwangju Design Biennale, the New Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Michael Rock and Susan Sellers are founders of studio 2x4. 2x4 is a global design consultancy headquartered in New York City with satellite studios in Beijing and Madrid. 2x4 focuses on brand strategy for cultural and commercial clients who value the power of design. Michael Rock is the Director of Graphical Architecture Studies at GSAPP. http://www.arch.columbia.edu
Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The foundation also stressed that change in this context is not abstract but a living history with strong global relevance, rooted in Gwangju’s own democratic legacy and its ongoing resonance beyond Korea.

The curatorial team includes Ho Tzu Nyen as artistic director, with Park Ga-hee, Brian Kuan Wood, and Che Kyungfa serving as curators. The 72-day program will unfold across the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall.

For U.S. readers, the event offers insight into how Korean and regional artists are addressing universal concerns—democracy, social change, and crisis—within a high-profile international forum. The biennale’s emphasis on depth and sustained practice could influence collaborations with U.S. museums and galleries, as well as broader conversations about cultural diplomacy, exchange, and the global art market.

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