Busan Biennale 2022 calls for Artistic Director
Application deadline: March 21, 2021, midnight (Korea Standard Time)
The Busan Biennale Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the open call for the artistic director of the upcoming edition of the Busan Biennale in 2022. Busan Biennale, which was inaugurated as Busan Youth Biennale as a self-initiated art festival by young Korean artists in 1981, was integrated with the Sea Art Festival, which was first held in 1987, as well as with the Busan Outdoor Sculpture Symposium, which was launched in 1991, has presented an international contemporary art exhibition since 2000. Those who would like to bring the founding philosophies of the Busan Biennale—autonomy, open communication, and public engagement—to life are encouraged to apply for the position of artistic director of the Busan Biennale 2022.
The application deadline is March 21, 2021, midnight (Korea Standard Time). The artistic director will be selected in April and will play a leading role in comprehensively directing the exhibition of the Busan Biennale 2022. He or she will be responsible for presenting exhibition titles, selecting artists and artworks, drawing up a budget, and planning academic programs.
The committee is looking for the artistic director who has a concrete plan for the exhibition to present a theme universal to humanity, starting from the identity of Busan as a city, a specific method to cooperate with the local artists or curators in Busan, a forward-looking exhibition model based on the understanding of the history, culture, and local properties of Busan, and an understanding of and expertise in contemporary art and experience in exhibitions directing Biennale and/or equivalent careers in large-scale international exhibitions. Moreover, those who could contribute to the global networking of the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee are preferred. Meanwhile, the artistic director will be asked to visit and stay in Korea (Busan) for a certain period to ensure the smooth operation of the exhibition (further discussion will be made in the event of Force Majeure, including COVID-19).
The artistic director to be selected in April 2021 through the open call
The committee is scheduled to select an artistic director for the Busan Biennale 2022 through open recruitment. The committee will complete the selection of an artistic director for the Busan Biennale 2022 through the recommendation committee and the selection committee by April 2021 and will begin its preparation for the biennale in earnest.
Major roles and responsibilities
– Overall management of the exhibition
– Set the exhibition theme and develop exhibition plans
– Exhibition budgeting, selection of the artists and artworks, and installation and management of the works
– Develop and implement public programs
– Responsibilities related to PR and sponsorship
– Cooperate with the exhibition team, the PR/Marketing team, and the Academic and Public Program team in the Committee to deliver the exhibition
– Any other responsibilities specified in the contract
Image: Monica Bonvicini, As Walls Keep Shifting, 2019. Timber wood, screws, 868 x 828 x 870 cm. Installation view at MOCA Busan, Busan Biennale 2020. Image provided by Busan Biennale Organizing Committee.