Now In Korea
Closed School and Ship Warehouse Turned into Waves of Art at 2026 Busan Biennale
Creatrip Team
23 days ago
The 2026 Busan Biennale opened on Sept. 29 under the theme “Discordant Chorus,” presenting new works from 46 artists (teams) across 22 countries at three seaside venues: Busan Museum of Modern Art, the former Busan Nam High School (a closed school), and Space Wonji (a former ship warehouse). About 70% of the works are new. Artists used sound, installation, performance, video and sculpture to explore movement, survival, labor history and memories of the sea in Busan. Highlights include Aliasqar Abakass’s large textile installation made from donated clothes on the old high school playground, where audiences walked on the work and experienced a daegeum (traditional Korean bamboo flute) performance; Mongolian artist Yanchanhorol Erdenebayar’s classroom mirrors and animal horn pieces questioning how knowledge is passed on; and Filipino artist Joar Songkuya’s 100 drawings of seafaring life, some reproduced as transportation cards. Belgian artist Brahim Tal installed motion-sensitive speakers that harmonize with the seascape, while Korean artist Ryu Seongsil presented “Ten Thousand Dreams,” a choir of school-uniform mannequins that critiques social expectations. Palestinian artist Yazan Khalili sold caps stamped with poem fragments — proceeds aid Palestine. Curators say the biennale’s “conductorless chorus” of different voices can guide people through turbulent times. Free shuttle buses connect the three sites; exhibitions at the former school and Space Wonji are free, while Busan Museum of Modern Art charges KRW 16,000 for adults. (Busan Nam High School: the city high school building that moved to a new campus this year and now stands closed; daegeum: a traditional Korean bamboo transverse flute.)
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