Arts Council Malta, under the auspices of the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, has been entrusted to act as the Commissioner and the Contracting Authority of the Malta Pavilion at the 16th edition of the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea. Arts Council Malta is the national agency for development and investment in the cultural and creative sectors.
Over the past 30 years, the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea has solidified its reputation as a platform for visual arts and a vital hub for cultural exchange between nations. Since its inception in 1994, the Gwangju Biennale has evolved into one of the world’s premier biennial exhibitions and a pivotal platform for contemporary art discourse. Every two years, an internationally renowned artistic director is appointed to curate a significant space for exploring contemporary art that showcases works by artists from around the world. By consistently addressing urgent political and social issues while fostering creative artistic dialogues, the Gwangju Biennale has solidified its position as a leading hub of contemporary art in Asia and beyond.
With the participation of Palais de Tokyo (France), HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme (Finland), and the Contemporary Art Network (Philippines), the Gwangju Biennale Pavilion has steadily expanded its reach. In 2021, it welcomed contributions from Kunsthaus Pasquart (Switzerland) and the Taipei Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) (Taiwan). By 2023, the Pavilion had grown to include participants from nine countries. In 2024, it saw a significant expansion, with 31 cities, institutions, and countries—including Argentina, Denmark, Finland, and Germany—joining the initiative. This remarkable growth highlights the Pavilion’s increasing importance as a platform for global artistic exchange and collaboration.
The Gwangju Biennale is a distinctive project where international cultural and art organisations present independent exhibitions in Gwangju during the Biennale. Participation from institutions representing diverse nations is integral to its success. Collaborating with local artists and experts, these participants identify meaningful connections with Gwangju, offering a platform to showcase contemporary art from their respective countries.
Through this growth, cultural and art institutions from around the world present distinctive contemporary art projects in Gwangju, addressing issues unique to their countries, cities, and institutions through different artistic forms.
The declared aim of the Malta Pavilion is to offer a platform through which the best Maltese contemporary artistic practices can be exposed and presented to an international audience through collaborative practices with the local community in Gwangju.
The selected Artistic Team will actively engage with the community and the artists in Gwangju, creating and showcasing artworks that could only emerge from this unique location, while at the same time also reflecting Malta.
The Artistic Team will stay in Gwangju for several weeks, creating their multi-disciplinary artworks on site and will create a programme of events for the duration of the Gwangju Biennale. Artworks could include immersive and site-specific performances, installations, set designs, music events, film and/or documentary projections, poetry readings, and dance choreographies. During the artistic residency, the Artistic Team will have the opportunity to engage with local artists and residents in Gwangju, providing them with an exchange of our cultures, and opportunities for interaction and collaboration through their art.
Arts Council Malta aims to provide Maltese artists with a creative challenge by utilising this unconventional space surrounded by its natural environment and residential homes, rather than a traditional theatre or art museum.
Responses to this ‘Call for An Artistic Team’ are to be submitted online by not later than 1st July at noon (CET).
Click here to download the guidelines and click here to download the application template. Click here to download Glass Polygon_Floor Plan, Art Polygon_Floor Plan and Base Polygon_Floor Plan.
