Seoul Mediacity Biennale opens with a focus on mapping
The 12th edition of the biennial is curated by Rachael Rakes and runs from September 21 to November 19, 2023 at the Seoul Museum of Art and various other spaces across Seoul.
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The 12th Seoul Mediacity Biennale (SMB12) is open from September 21 to November 19, 2023, at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and various other venues across Seoul. This exhibition features an impressive array of artists, pushing the boundaries of contemporary media art.
Under the curation of Artistic Director Rachael Rakes, SMB12 will feature works by an esteemed list of artists. Among them are Agustina Woodgate, Akira Ikezoe, Animali Domestici, Anna Bella Geiger, Anna Maria Maiolino, Archana Hande, and many others, illustrating the diverse range of talent contributing to the exhibition.
The biennale embraces live programming, which began on September 4, coinciding with Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul, and running through November 19. There will be an engaging lineup of workshops, performances, talks, podcasts, tours, DJ sets, and more, involving artists, writers, scholars, and performers.
The exhibition, titled "THIS TOO, IS A MAP," unfolds at multiple venues throughout Seoul, incorporating objects and concepts responding to the Biennale and the city's unique spatial characteristics. The exhibition showcases non-territorial mapping, exploring abstraction, extraction, displacement, and networked ecosystems and social systems.
Furthermore, SMB12 features new commissions, performances, and key artworks from recent decades, presenting an intriguing exploration of various themes. The exhibition venues are complemented by collaborating spaces and partners, offering additional avenues to explore the Biennale and the city.
SMB12's publication initiatives include an anthology co-published by SeMA and [NAME] Publications in Miami. This comprehensive book features contributions from artists, researchers, and writers worldwide, engaging with diverse topics such as multi-diasporic narratives, poetic interpretations of inhabitation, and decolonial implications of translation.
As the excitement builds, the SMB12 postcard project, commencing in June 2023, will add an ephemeral facet to the Biennale. Artists, writers, and collaborators are invited to contribute their unique perspectives through personal maps, creating a communal map through contribution, compilation, and distribution. For further information and press inquiries please visit the site.