documenta Institut x Gwangju Biennale:
International Conference “Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space, and Practice”
September 17–18, 2026, in Gwangju
As part of the research project “documenta and Gwangju Biennale: political legacy, civic life, and the worlding of art,” which has been ongoing since 2025 and is a collaboration between the documenta Institut and the Gwangju Biennale, Prof. Mi You and Dr. Maria Neumann once again visited Gwangju, South Korea, from September 12–19, 2026, to, among other things, organize the international conference “Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space, and Practice.”
In addition, the research trip served to further their research, which included visits to the National Museum of Korea, the War Memorial in Seoul—which commemorates the Korean War—the Museum of Contemporary Korean History, and the 16th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, “You Must Change Your Life.” The focus was also on presenting initial research outcomes, deepening the exchange with cooperation partners, and planning the next steps, including a publication that examines the role of art in post- and pre-authoritarian societies, drawing on the Gwangju Biennale and documenta in Kassel.
The highlight was the two-day international conference “Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space, and Practice,” which took place on September 17–18, 2026. The event centred on a transdisciplinary comparison between the Gwangju Biennale and documenta in Kassel, with a particular focus on the democratization of both countries. Examples from Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore served as additional case studies. The conference explored the historical contexts in which the respective exhibitions were founded, how they have engaged with the recent past, and to what extent this continues to influence the present and shape visions of the future.
The conference was organized by the documenta Institut in cooperation with the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, The May 18 Memorial Foundation, OverLab, the Research Institute for Locality and Mutuality-CNU, and The Society for Emotion-Humanities (SEH). Participants included Bella Jung, Hsu Fang Tze, Kim In-sook, Koichiro Osaka, Kyoungnam Yoo, Maria Neumann, Mi You, Sooyoung Leam, and Wang Tuo.
Impressions (4)
As part of a research project between the documenta Institute and the Gwangju Biennale, Prof. Mi You and Maria Neumann spent three days in Gwangju, South Korea, in March 2025. Together with Bella Jung, Jiye Choi, Sooyoung Leam and Lyungnam Yoo, they met scholars, artists and activists who deal with the history of the Biennale and the city of Gwangju.
Review: Gwangju Biennale
