Jung-Yeon Ma: White Hands and Black Clothes #02 "You Must Change Your Life: Gwangju Biennale"
A review of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, themed "You Must Change Your Life," discussing video installations and works by artists such as Hwayeon Nam.Summary
This article is the second installment of "White Hands and Black Clothes," a series by Seoul-born, Japan-based art historian Jung-Yeon Ma. Ma reflects on the 16th Gwangju Biennale (2026), curated by Ho Tzu Nyen, from the perspective of an ordinary visitor rather than press. The biennale's theme, borrowed from a Rilke poem, "You Must Change Your Life," frames change not as a destination but as a method. The exhibition is organized into five rooms, each titled with rhyming English phrases such as "Molecules and Me" and "Bodies and Bonds," creating a rhythm of difference and repetition. Ma especially praises the first room, where plastic materials like pine resin, lava, and rubber are interwoven with memories of exploitation and illness. She offers an in-depth reading of Hwayeon Nam's work "Suni," interpreting it in relation to Catholic persecution, female solidarity, and the decision to change. The article also examines the careful treatment of video installations, the role of international film art foundations, and Matthew Barney's early video "SCABACTION," ultimately reflecting on the dynamics of change and form in contemporary art.
(Source：ART iT)