Courtesy of the Gangwon International Triennale 2024.

Gangwon Triennale is the only Nomadic Triennale among the art exhibitions in South Korea. It aims to create and share artworks that can only be expressed within Gangwon Province by utilizing the culture, history, and landscape of 18 cities and counties in Gangwon Province and to add a depth of experience and exchanges with residents and an appreciation of the works of art in nature. It seeks an engagement with various art forms and experiences and alternative knowledge production and distribution methods. Also, the Gangwon Triennale seeks to support local and regional contemporary artists to facilitate the creation and realization of projects and forge interaction. The upcoming Gangwon International Triennale 2024 is the completion of a three-year event under the theme ‘High Land of Art, Pyeongchang.’ It will take place in the beautiful fall in Pyeongchang, where Woljeongsa Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, is located.

Theme: Ecological Art from Beneath 
According to ecosystem and ecology researchers, ant tunnels, a habitat of ant communities, serve as an important ventilator when discharging warm air from above-ground to underground. Yet, because of their location and size, they are mostly kept hidden and invisible to human civilization. Inspired by the symbolic meanings of ant tunnels, known for their alternative, microscopic perspective, and the organic social structure of anti-communities, this year’s Triennale seeks to look at ecological art from the perspective of shifting attitudes, entailing the redefinition of the relationships between humans and nature, humans and humans, and the local and the global.

The exhibition takes place in five locations around Jinbu Station in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do (the region famous for South Korea’s parks and scenic landscapes on the eastern shore of the Korean Peninsula). The Gangwon Triennale, established in 2013, stands out as one of the most influential international events in South Korea on ecological art. It is held in a region boasting the highest mountain ranges and ski resorts, which hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Venues
–The Ant Tunnel: From Beneath (Pyeongchang Trout Experience Center, Main Hall)
–The Ant Tunnel: Across Spaces (Pavilion)
–The Ant Tunnel: Creative Versatility (Pyeongchang Cultural City Foundation)
–The Ant Tunnel: Her Digital Earth (Gate Ball Center & Woljeongsa)
–The Ant Tunnel: From Chambers to Chambers (Jinbu Old Market and the Gallery Contemporary Look)

In keeping with the purpose of the international exhibition and the collaborative and open attitude that ecology values, the artistic director established close collaborative relationships with three commissioners from Japan, the United States, and Vietnam from the inception of its curatorial endeavor. 58 artists from 21 countries will present 65 works and host the event “Meeting with Gangwon Artists and Commissioners” to explore intersections between Gangwon’s local art and the global art world.