Austrian Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale, South Korea
In 2024, Phileas will be the commissioner and co-funder of the Austrian Pavilion at the 15th Gwangju Biennale in South Korea. The project is funded jointly by Phileas and the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport.
Fiona Liewehr, Liesl Raff, Florian Mayr and Carolina Nöbauer (left to right). Photo: Marcella Ruiz Cruz
The Gwangju Biennale is among the most important biennials for contemporary art in Asia, attracting around 500,000 visitors each edition. Established in 1995 as a tribute to the Gwangju Democratisation Movement, it began to host national pavilions in 2018, which are located at various venues across the city. The theme of the 15th edition in 2024 is Pansori – A Soundscape of the 21st Century. Drawing on the Korean pansori tradition – a lyrical chant by a single artist accompanied by a drum – the sound and performative aspect draws attention to the relationship between humans and the surrounding space.
Austria’s first participation at the Biennale in 2024 will be hosted by the LEEKANGHA Art Museum. Artists and curators were invited to submit joint proposals through an open call, which were assessed by the International Advisory Board of Phileas comprising Lisa Gersdorf (Publisher, frieze magazine, Berlin and London), Max Hollein (Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), Tessa Praun (Director and Chief curator, Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art, Stockholm), Hans Schabus (Artist and Professor, University of Applied Arts Vienna) and Simone Subal (Gallerist, New York).
“The concept by Liesl Raff and Fiona Liewehr impresses with its strong artistic vision and embraces contemporary positions through the collaboration with Austrian and international performance artists. Austria’s first national participation at the Gwangju Biennale is a strong signal of the country’s diverse art scene. We look forward to the transformation of the LEEKANGHA Art Museum and to discovering Liesl Raff’s artistic cosmos.”
– Lisa Gersdorf on behalf of the jury
The exhibition of Liesl Raff for the Austrian Pavilion in Gwangju builds upon her 2023 project Club Liaison, presented at fjk3 - Contemporary Art Space, Vienna in cooperation with Wiener Festwochen. Club Liaison was an exhibition, immersive installation and setting for live performances. This aspect will be further developed for the exhibition in Gwangju, through collaborations between Austrian and South Korean performance artists.
“In my sculptural practice, I am interested in spaces that enable a coming together and interaction between the audience and the work. Club Liaison is inspired by notions of cabaret, vaudeville or "speakeasy", but also pansori, and the transformative power that lies in these social spaces, storytelling and collective experiences. It is a great pleasure and honour for me to represent Austria at the Gwangju Biennale and to contribute to the exchange between the Austrian, South Korean and international art scene.”
– Liesl Raff
Liesl Raff (born 1979 in Stuttgart) is an Austrian-based sculptor who is interested in the tactile quality of materials, and how to draw attention to them. She has become known for her works in latex, which she uses for its versatility, its stretchability, the way it adapts to different surfaces and appears almost like a second skin. In her installations, niches, shelters and protective zones offer places of retreat and a feeling of security. Raff's work does not seek to impose a new function on materials or surroundings, but rather opens up a space for conversation. The pavilion will be curated by Fiona Liewehr, artistic director of fjk3 – Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, while the performance programme and production will be overseen by Carolina Nöbauer (Tanzquartier Wien) and Florian Mayr respectively.
Liesl Raff, Club Liaison, exhibition view at fjk3 - Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, 2023. Photo: Simon Veres
Liesl Raff, Club Liaison, exhibition view at fjk3 -Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, 2023. Photo: Simon Veres
Stina Force at Club Liaison, fjk3 - Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, 2023. Photo: Inés Bacher
Alex Zehetbauer at Club Liaison, fjk3 - Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, 2023. Photo: Fabio Ninic
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French curator Nicolas Bourriaud will curate the 15th Gwangju Biennale in 2024 under the title Pansori – A Soundscape of the 21st Century. Built as a narrative, the Biennale tells of the spaces we live in. Bourriaud draws on the Korean pansori tradition: a lyrical or epic chant by a single artist accompanied by a drum. Pansori – A Soundscape of the 21st Century presents itself as a visual symphony composed by international artists at various locations in Gwangju. For the duration of the Biennale, the city will be orchestrated with madangs, ‘individual songs’ of pansori, as musical or sonic projects that mix sound and visual elements. ‘From social distancing due to the pandemic to climate change, including flooding, desertification and rising sea levels due to global warming, humanity’s relationship with space has changed dramatically over the past few years.’ (Nicolas Bourriaud)
Gwangju Biennale
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The Austrian Pavilion at the 15th Gwangju Biennale will be hosted by the LEEKANGHA Art Museum, located in the Yangnim district.
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Club Liaison at fjk3 - Contemporary Art Space was the first institutional solo show of Liesl Raff, for which she transformed the exhibition space into an immersive installation which also functioned as a setting for live performances, produced in collaboration with Wiener Festwochen.
Wiener Festwochen is a multidisciplinary art festival in the city, combining theatre, performance, dance, music, fine arts, installation, discourse, participation, workshops, and new art forms that cannot yet be categorized.
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For further information, contact Margherita Belcredi at gwangjubiennale@phileas.art
