The 16th Gwangju Biennale Runs Through November 15: Artistic Director Ho Tzu Nyen Gathers 43 Participants in a Single Building

The 16th Gwangju Biennale is on view in Gwangju, South Korea, through Sunday, November 15, 2026. It opened on September 5. Its title is “You Must Change Your Life,” and its Korean title is “너는 네 삶을 바꿔야 한다.” The artistic director is Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen, and 43 artists and groups take part. Based on announcements and the official website of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and an announcement on e-flux, this article covers the theme, organization, venue and works, pavilions, admission and the pre-closing program.

Ho has also presented work in Japan. The foundation’s announcement lists the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2024) among the main institutions where he has held solo exhibitions, and Aichi Triennale (2019) among the international exhibitions he has taken part in. This edition’s participants include Sasaki Ken, born in Kanagawa Prefecture and based in Tokyo. Ties between Korean art institutions and Japanese artists are also covered in our article on the 9th Nam June Paik Prize.

Title and theme: From the last line of a Rilke poem

The title is the last line of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “Archaic Torso of Apollo” (1908). The e-flux announcement describes it as a poem in which an encounter with a broken ancient statue changes how the viewer sees. The official website says that, inspired by this open-ended command, the biennale treats change as a method rather than a destination.

In its title announcement on March 18, 2026, the foundation said this biennale would explore the transformative power of art in response to the multiple crises and urgencies of the present. The September 4 announcement, issued the day before the opening, says it asks how slow and sudden change coexist within the same process, and aims to let visitors feel change physically through repetition and variation. When appointed, Ho said that rather than delivering a single message, he wanted to generate proposals for change that everyone shares and shapes.

Artistic director and team: Ho Tzu Nyen and three curators

On April 23, 2025, the foundation announced Ho’s appointment as artistic director. According to the foundation, Ho is a Singaporean artist and curator, a media artist and filmmaker whose work spans diverse forms and contexts. The institutions where he has held solo exhibitions include Mudam in Luxembourg (2025); the Hessel Museum of Art, Art Sonje Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (all 2024); and the Singapore Art Museum (2023). He presented work at the Singapore Pavilion of the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011, and took part in the 10th Shanghai Biennale (2014), Aichi Triennale (2019) and the 14th Sharjah Biennial (2019). His biography also lists the Venice International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival (both 2009) and the Berlin International Film Festival (2015).

His ties with the Gwangju Biennale include taking part in the 12th edition, “Imagined Borders,” in 2018 and contributing a commissioned work to the 13th, “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning,” in 2021. In 2019 he co-curated the 7th Asian Art Biennial, organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition is curated by Ho with curators Che Kyongfa, Gahee Park and Brian Kuan Wood. It is organized by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City.

Venue and works: 43 participants across five galleries

The main exhibition is contained within a single building, the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Buk-gu, Gwangju. The e-flux announcement calls it one of the most focused editions in the biennale’s history. There are five galleries, which the official website names, in order, “Molecules and Me,” “Bodies and Bonds,” “Landscapes and Learning,” “Cosmos and Change” and “Air and Articulations.” Some artists reappear across several galleries, with works from different periods or in different forms.

Works highlighted in the announcement include Tehching Hsieh’s performance in which he punched a time clock every hour for a year. May Mothers House, a community of women whose lives were changed by the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980 (the Gwangju Uprising), shows 322 paintings made in ongoing workshops with artist Joo Hong. Huh Baek-ryun (1891–1977), who co-founded the Gwangju Agricultural Technical High School in 1947, is presented through paintings, calligraphy and tea utensils. Volcanic rocks from Jeju Island, such as volcanic bombs and lava tree molds managed by Jeju Stone Park, are also on display.

James T. Hong’s “Apologies” (2012–) is projected onto the exterior wall of the exhibition hall. Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork’s work can be entered from Biennale Square without a ticket.

The list of participating artists the foundation announced on June 9 includes Matthew Barney, James Benning, Lygia Clark, Július Koller, Lu Yang, Saodat Ismailova and CAMP, among others. On the list, Huh Baek-ryun appears as “Heo Baekryeon (Gwangju Agricultural Technical High School)” and the volcanic rocks of Jeju as “Volcanoes of Jeju (Jeju Stone Park),” with the names of the school and park added.

A Japan-based artist: 60 paintings by Sasaki Ken

According to the official website, Sasaki Ken was born in Kanagawa Prefecture and is based in Tokyo. This edition presents a broad overview of his practice through 60 paintings. Many of the works whose titles appear on the official website depict cleaning rags (zokin). The rags were mainly ones the artist used when teaching and cleaning up at a children’s art class in Chiba Prefecture. Other works depict sneakers, boots, tatami mats and fire extinguishers. The official website says the works are closely tied to the artist’s daily life and directly reflect his thoughts and interests at the time they were made. The e-flux announcement names Sasaki Ken as one of the artists who reappear with works spanning years and decades.

Pavilions: 28 pavilions from 16 countries and 11 institutions

Separate from the main exhibition are the Gwangju Biennale Pavilions, in which countries and institutions take part. According to the foundation, the pavilion program is a voluntary external collaboration run separately from the main exhibition; it began in 2018 with three institutions. By 2024 it had grown to 31 pavilions: 22 national pavilions and nine from institutions and cities. In 2026, 16 national pavilions and 11 institutions take part, for a total of 28 pavilions, since one institution presents two.

This year, a dispute arose over the name used for the pavilion of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA). According to the foundation’s statement, the two parties signed an agreement on January 12, 2026, and the foundation had been listing the pavilion under the institution’s name in accordance with that agreement. NTMoFA requested a change to “Taiwan Pavilion.” In a statement on September 2, the foundation apologized, saying it had failed to adequately reconcile the differing positions of those involved at a crucial stage, leading to a public controversy. It said it does not intervene in or censor the planning, content or expression of exhibitions, and that it would comprehensively review the operation and administrative procedures of the pavilion program. The statement also expressed the hope that the China Pavilion could resume its participation.

Admission and hours: A closing program before the end

According to the official website, opening hours are 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays. The ticketing page linked from the official website lists prices of 20,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for youth and 7,000 won for children.

Ahead of the closing, from Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8, a closing program of performances, workshops, screenings and conversations takes place at the exhibition hall, Geosigi Hall and outdoor spaces nearby. Participants include Angela Goh, Nam Hwayeon, Geumhyung Jeong and Christian Nyampeta.

Some highlights of the schedule: Nam Hwayeon’s “Bodiless” takes place from Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8, 9:00–9:40, moving from Yongbong-je Pond to Gallery 4. Angela Goh’s “Craft” takes place from November 6 to 8 at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 in the passage between Galleries 2 and 3; no registration is required, and anyone with an exhibition ticket can join. Geumhyung Jeong’s “Rehab Training” takes place on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 15:00–18:00, in Gallery 2, with 20 places per session. In Biennale Square, Suzuki Akio and Miyakita Hiromi perform on November 6 and 8 from 13:00 to 13:30, and on Saturday, November 7, from 13:00 to 14:00, Suzuki Akio and Che Kyongfa lead a walking program outdoors around the exhibition hall. On Sunday, November 8, from 14:00 to 16:00, Ho and the three curators hold a closing talk.

Some programs require advance registration, open until Thursday, October 29. Programs held inside the galleries require an exhibition ticket.

As for attendance, no figure for this edition could be found on the foundation’s official website or press page as of October 25. For the previous, 15th edition (September 7 – December 1, 2024), the foundation announced on e-flux that, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, it featured 72 artists from 30 countries and 31 pavilions and drew about 700,000 visitors.

Overview: The 16th Gwangju Biennale

Dates: Saturday, September 5 – Sunday, November 15, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00
Closed: Mondays
Venue: Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall (111 Biennale-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Korea)
Admission: Adults 20,000 won, youth 10,000 won, children 7,000 won
Artistic director: Ho Tzu Nyen
Curators: Che Kyongfa, Gahee Park, Brian Kuan Wood
Organizers: Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City
Official website: https://youmustchangeyourlife.kr/

Editor’s perspective

This Gwangju Biennale is smaller in scale than the last. The previous 15th edition, “Pansori: a soundscape of the 21st century,” featured 72 artists from 30 countries and used eight sites in Yangnim-dong in addition to the exhibition hall. This time there are 43 participants, and the main exhibition is contained within a single building. It also features the same artists in several galleries with works from different periods. As the e-flux announcement’s description of it as one of the most focused editions suggests, the structure favors showing each artist’s long-term practice over expanding the number of artists.

In the pavilion program, the way it is run surfaced as an issue. Whereas national participation at the Venice Biennale is organized by country, Gwangju’s pavilions mix participation by countries and institutions. The foundation’s policy of listing participants that signed agreements as institutions under the institution’s name led to a dispute with the Taiwanese museum over naming. The foundation itself has announced a review of procedures for a program that grew from three institutions in 2018 to 31 pavilions in 2024.

As for connections with Japan, artistic director Ho’s career includes a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and participation in Aichi Triennale, and Tokyo-based Sasaki Ken is showing 60 paintings. The foundation ran an open call for the artistic director of the 17th edition from June 8 to August 3, 2026, and the next main exhibition is scheduled for 2028. Dates of art festivals in Japan are compiled in our art fair and art festival calendar.

Frequently asked questions

What are the dates and closing days?

The biennale runs from Saturday, September 5 to Sunday, November 15, 2026. Opening hours are 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays. A closing program takes place from Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8, before the end.

Are Japanese artists taking part?

The artist the official website explicitly identifies as Japan-based is Sasaki Ken, born in Kanagawa Prefecture and based in Tokyo, who is showing 60 paintings. Artistic director Ho Tzu Nyen held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2024.

Has attendance been announced?

As of October 25, no attendance figure for this edition could be found on the foundation’s official website. For the previous, 15th edition, the foundation announced about 700,000 visitors.

*Information as of October 25, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Gallery 1, 16th Gwangju Biennale (2026). Photo: Jeon Byung Cheol, © Gwangju Biennale Foundation (from the Gwangju Biennale announcement on e-flux)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements and the official website of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and its announcement on e-flux (as of October 25, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team