Local biennial art exhibitions to turn online amid coronavirus pandemic

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- Upcoming local biennial art exhibitions will go virtual to allow people to enjoy high-quality artworks at home amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic.

The Busan Biennale 2020, a biennial international contemporary art show held in the southern port city of Busan, will kick off Saturday and run through Nov. 8 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan and other city areas.

Under the banner theme of "Words at an Exhibition -- an exhibition in ten chapters and five poems," 89 novelists, poets and artists will display 230 artworks and literary works.

The event's organizers said the opening ceremony will be livestreamed on its official YouTube channel on Saturday, as all indoor museums and art galleries have been closed due to the tightened social distancing guidelines in Busan.

It will also upload a video in which art director Jacob Fabricius, a Danish artist, introduces the event's productions to online audiences, and offer audio books and online galleries.

The 2020 Changwon Sculpture Biennale, an international exhibition held every two years at the southern city of Changwon, will also open on online platforms from Sept. 17-Nov. 1. About 90 artists and sculptors from 30 countries will participate in the event.

Its main programs, including the opening ceremony and seminars, will be held online, along with some virtual reality clips on displayed statues.

The 2020 Daejeon Biennale, hosted by the Daejeon Museum of Art starting next Tuesday for three months, will also join the online trend triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the event focusing on the relationships between humans and artificial intelligence, most of its main exhibitions and programs, including the opening ceremony, will be available on the internet and social media.

brk@yna.co.kr
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