International Curator Course 2026 at Gwangju Biennale Academy, South Korea

Funding: Course tuition, accommodation, partial airfare support and certificate of completion

Programme Dates: 29 August – 10 September 2026

Application Deadline: 5 July 2026, 11:59 pm (KST)

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation has opened applications for the 2026 Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course (GBICC), an intensive educational programme for emerging curators, art theorists and cultural practitioners working across contemporary art and global cultural contexts.

Established from the legacy of Okwui Enwezor’s Global Institute, launched during the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, the programme has developed into a significant international platform for curatorial education and exchange. Over the past sixteen years, it has welcomed more than 200 participants from around the world and has been shaped by leading curators and thinkers including Maria Lind and Ute Meta Bauer.

Programme

Led by independent curator and researcher Mijoo Park, the 2026 edition will begin shortly before the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale and conclude in Seoul.

Grounded in the context of the Biennale, the programme will bring participants into direct dialogue with the Artistic Director, curatorial team and participating artists. Through seminars, site visits, group activities and discussions, participants will gain insight into the exhibition’s curatorial framework, production processes and artistic practices.

This year’s course, You Must Change Your Default, takes inspiration from the theme of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, You Must Change Your Life. Participants will critically examine the institutional, social and structural conditions that shape curatorial practice while collectively exploring how these frameworks might be reconfigured.

The programme is conducted entirely in English.

Eligibility

The programme is open to:

• Curators
• Contemporary art practitioners
• Critics
• Artists
• Cultural practitioners

Applicants must be 35 years old or younger at the time of application.

Benefits

Selected participants will receive:

• Full course tuition
• Accommodation for the duration of the programme
• Partial airfare support
• Certificate of completion

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

• Completed application form
• Statement of motivation and potential contribution (500 words)
• Current curatorial practice and questions (500 words)
• CV
• Portfolio of relevant curatorial activities, exhibitions, publications or essays (maximum 10 pages)
• Optional letter of recommendation

All documents must be submitted in English and provided as separate PDF files.