Longega Project's "Wooden Hut" exhibited at the German Pavilion of the 15th Gwangju Biennale in Gwangju, Sept. 7. Photo by Choi Jin Woong, courtesy of PLATFORM Munich

The first German pavilion at a Gwangju Biennale, titled "in between water," is open and running through Dec. 1, focusing on the collaborative and creative exchanges behind art and presenting several walk-in installations created by cross-cultural collaborations. This year's biennale celebrates its 30th anniversary under the theme "Pansori – A Soundscape of the 21st Century," and the direction of Nicolas Bourriaud.

Housed at the Gwangju History and Folk Museum in the city's north and curated by Longega Project in collaboration with PLATFORM Munich and Sophie-Charlotte Bombeck, the exhibition opened Sept. 7 to become a meeting point for international and Korean artists and a space for rich cultural exchange and public engagement, comprising of audience participation, performances, readings and workshops from a host of transnational artists.

"The atmosphere at this year's biennale was super interesting, with over 30 national pavilions participating — many for the first time," PLATFORM Munich's Christian Landspersky said of the opening night.

Christian Landspersky, project lead for PLATFORM Munich, speaks at the opening of the first German Pavilion at the 2024 Gwangju Biennale, Sept. 7. Photo by Choi Jin Woong, courtesy of PLATFORM Munich

"Besides the many official speeches in the German Pavilion — like the mayor of Gwangju, the president of the foundation, Nicolas Bourriaud himself, people from the embassy and the Institute for Foreign Relations in Germany — we had a very interesting concert by the band Kunststoffwerkstatt, along with some ritualistic activation performances, and a fascinating performance about deconstructing pansori."

Visitors can expect to see a mountain cabin-like structure, a badminton court, a fire of lights, shaking potted trees and collaboration spaces inspired by the convergence of places, ideas and artists and the notion of hosting and being hosted.

The biennale's pavilion program began in 2018 and has expanded into a growing network of art and cultural institutions within Korea and internationally. In 2023, nine pavilions were on show. This year, the number has grown to 31. According to Landspersky, this represents a significant development in the international recognition and outreach of Asia's oldest biennale: "It was probably a better decision than inviting a K-pop band this year."

Speaking about the background to the project, Landspersky said that a group of international Munich-based artists, including an Italian-Korean couple, had been running a small residency in the Italian mountains. This provided inspiration for the process, themes and performances unfolding at the pavilion.

Kunststoffwerkstatt with franz allein and Hwang Mi Young perform "Campfire" at the opening night of "in between water" at the German Pavilion of the 15th Gwangju Biennale in Gwangju, Sept. 7. Photo by Choi Jin Woong, courtesy of PLATFORM Munich

"As a result, many of the international guests involved occupy a space somewhere in between South Korea and Europe," Landspersky said. "The idea was to use the questionable format of national pavilions to present a concept that transcends borders, aiming for cultural exchange through a transnational lens. With this idea, we tried to transport the essence of that small, basic residency in the mountains into the context of a major, internationally recognized exhibition."

Such essence was distilled into the opening performances of "Tuning Forks for the Edaphone" by Nele Ka, Oliver Haussmann and Fabian Feichter, a performance of "Floating Hut," and "Campfire," a concert with performative storytelling by Kunststoffwekstatt and franz allein with Hwang Mi Young.

"Campfire" is performed by Kunststoffwekstatt with franz allein and Hwang Mi Young at the opening of the first German Pavilion at the 2024 Gwangju Biennale, Sept. 7. Photo by Choie Jin Woong, courtesy of PLATFORM Munich

"The exhibition aims to transport the visitor to another place, where it's not necessarily about art, but about mystery, encounter and perhaps a bit of disorientation," Landspersky said.

Landspersky, who has previously worked on several exhibition projects focused on Korean art and the residency activities, said that the benefit of such exchanges is largely personal.

"I believe the main benefit happens on a deeply personal, individual level, often bilingual. It's less about the resulting art and more about the role art plays in these processes," he said. "Art here becomes a medium for intellectual and transcultural exchange — a transmitter, catalyst, lubricant and source of friction all at once."

An audio guide is available to accompany visitors through the space. Visit german-pavilion-gwangju-biennale.org for further information about the pavilion and the artists involved.