the evening and the morning and the night
Birke Gorm
Austrian Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, 2026
September – November 2026
Birke Gorm has been selected to represent Austria at the 16th Gwangju Biennale 2026 in South Korea. The exhibition will be curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini and marks the second national presentation of Austria at the Gwangju Biennale.
Phileas invited artists and curators to submit joint proposals through an Open Call, which were assessed by its International Advisory Board comprised of Lisa Gersdorf (Publisher, frieze, Berlin and London), Max Hollein (Director and CEO, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), Tessa Praun (Curator and writer, Stockholm), Hans Schabus (Artist and Professor, University of Applied Arts Vienna), Jasper Sharp (Curator and writer, Vienna) and Simone Subal (Gallerist, New York).
Under the title the evening and the morning and the night, artist Birke Gorm will transform the Austrian Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale both physically and conceptually into an attic – a place that is used for storage, mainly left undisturbed. Just as an attic stores old, forgotten, or hidden objects, it can symbolise the mind’s storage of repressed memories, unprocessed emotions as well as the societal influences that command our identities.
Gorm’s work investigates the life cycle of common objects, interrogating their ideological framework around the narration of history and changing attitudes to social representation, gender, industrialization, and value. In line with Gorm’s artistic production, the exhibition at the Austrian Pavilion will consist largely of discarded and repurposed materials, collected by the artist in Vienna and on site in Gwangju.
“The concept of Birke Gorm and Attilia Fattori Franchini impressed with its clear artistic vision and its critical examination of relevant issues such as the use of resources or the consequences of capitalism. By repurposing everyday, seemingly worthless materials in her work, Birke Gorm brings the repressed and overlooked to the forefront, creating a space for collective memories. The jury was particularly struck by how her work inscribes itself into the local context, thus opening a dialogue between place, material, and history. Addressing some of the complex questions related to the human condition within a fragile socio-economic framework, Birke Gorm’s mesmerizing installations convey a highly impactful and persuasively engaging visual language,” said Max Hollein on behalf of the jury.
“Through careful attention, re-appropriation, and the use of traditional craft and domestic production techniques, I explore how care, time, and manual labour can reframe what seems disposable as something that carries valuable information. It is an honour to represent Austria – which has been my home for more than a decade – at the Gwangju Biennale, and I deeply value the opportunity to take part in the exchange between Austria, South Korea and the international art scene,” said Birke Gorm.
Birke Gorm (born 1986 in Hamburg, Germany) is a visual artist based in Vienna. The exhibition will be curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, founder and director of KUNSTVEREIN GARTENHAUS, Vienna and director of the festival curated by.
The Austrian Pavilion is commissioned by Phileas - The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art and co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport.
For press inquiries and further information please contact: press@austrianpaviliongwangju.com
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Initiated by Phileas - The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art, and in collaboration with the Federal Ministries for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport as well as for European and International Affairs, and the Austrian Embassy in Seoul, artist Liesl Raff designed the first Austrian pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale in 2024 under the title Club Liaison. Following its success and international visibility, Raff's expansive, sculptural installation entered the collection of the mumok – Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien. In 2026, Birke Gorm will represent Austria at the 16th Gwangju Biennale with her exhibition the evening and the morning and the night, curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini. This marks the second national presentation of Austria at the Gwangju Biennale.
For further information about the Austrian Pavilion in Gwangju please click here.
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The Austrian Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale will be hosted by the Eunam Museum of Art. The museum is located in the Dong-gu district, in the immediate vicinity of the National Asian Culture Centre. In addition to Austria, the Eunam Museum of Art will also present the Swiss Pavilion, commissioned by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
For further information about the Eunam Museum of Art in Gwangju please click here.
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The Gwangju Biennale in South Korea is considered the oldest and most renowned biennial for contemporary art in Asia. The biennial was established in 1995 to commemorate the violent suppression of the Gwangju Democratisation Movement by the military dictatorship in 1980. Since 2018, the biennial has hosted national pavilions and satellite exhibitions by international art institutions at cultural venues across the city alongside the main exhibition.
Each edition brings together artists, curators, and audiences from around the world to explore new ideas, foster dialogue, and engage with urgent social, political, and cultural issues and the changing conditions and crises of our time – from climate change and unpredictable pandemics to democratic backsliding. The 16th Gwangju Biennale will take place from September to November 2026, curated by curator, media artist, and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen.
