16th Gwangju Biennale 2026 — Dates & Theme

Dates: 5 September – 15 November 2026
Location: Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Gwangju, South Korea
Type: International Art Biennial (16th edition)
Theme: “You must change your life” (after Rilke)
Artistic Director: Ho Tzu Nyen, with curators Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee, and Brian Kuan Wood

About the Biennale

Founded in 1995, the Gwangju Biennale is Asia’s oldest recurring exhibition of contemporary art. Its 16th edition takes its title from the closing line of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “Archaic Torso of Apollo.” Led by Artistic Director Ho Tzu Nyen together with curators Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee and Brian Kuan Wood, the edition deliberately favors “intensity over accumulation,” presenting the smallest number of participating artists in the Biennale’s history, so that each can be shown in greater depth across a fuller career survey rather than a single work.

Plan Your Visit

The 16th edition runs for 72 days, from 5 September to 15 November 2026, at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Gwangju, South Korea. Ticket prices and daily opening hours are not published on the official site’s English pages; check the link below directly before travelling.

For other major exhibitions on this scale elsewhere in Asia this season, see our guides to the 9th Yokohama Triennale 2027 in Japan and ART021 Shanghai 2026, the region’s leading contemporary art fair.

Official website: gwangjubiennale.org

Image: The Gwangju National Museum, in the city that hosts the Biennale. Source: Wikimedia Commons.