Youn Bummo. Courtesy Gwangju Biennale
Youn Bummo, former Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), has been appointed President of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation.
Press Release: On July 17, the Foundation announced that Youn’s appointment as the organization’s new head was approved by its board of directors.
This appointment follows the resignation of Lee Sang-Gap, former Deputy Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju Metropolitan City, who served as interim president after former president Park Yang-woo vacated the position.
With the appointment of Youn as President, preparations for the 2025 Gwangju Design Biennale (which opens at the end of August) and the 16th Gwangju Biennale in 2026 are expected to gain momentum.
According to the Foundation’s board of directors, Youn was selected for his significant contributions to the study of Korean art and Minjung Misul (“People’s Art”) in particular, his successful curation of numerous exhibitions with broad public interest, and his experience running major cultural institutions such as the MMCA.
Youn Bummo´s CV
Youn Bummo debuted as an art critic in 1982 through the Dong-A Ilbo New Year’s Literary Contest and has continued to make impactful scholarly contributions as an art historian and critic, including dozens of books on Korean art history. He has taught at the College of Fine Arts at Gachon University and served as a distinguished professor at Dongguk University. Youn was also involved in the opening of important art institutions throughout the country, such as the Hoam Museum of Art (now the Leeum Museum of Art), Seoul Arts Center, Lee Ungno Museum in Daejeon, and the Solgeo Art Museum in Gyeongju. He served as chief curator of the Gyeongju World Culture Expo (2016-17), and general director of the Changwon Sculpture Biennale (2018), among many other prominent large-scale exhibitions. In 1995, Youn was recognized with a Presidential Commendation for his service as an executive committee member and special exhibition curator of the inaugural Gwangju Biennale; he returned to Gwangju in 2014 to curate the special exhibition “Sweet Dew, 1980 and After” at the 10th Gwangju Biennale.
Regarding his appointment, Youn remarked, “It is a solemn honor to be appointed President, thirty years after I participated in the founding of the Gwangju Biennale. As mandated in the Biennale’s founding declaration, I will uphold the identity of the Gwangju Biennale as a leading platform for the production of contemporary culture and art, grounded in the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement and the artistic tradition of Gwangju.”
Having secured the board’s approval, Youn will receive his official letter of appointment from Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-Jung on July 18, followed by an inauguration ceremony on July 21 that will, officially mark the beginning of his term.
About the Gwangju Biennale
Founded in 1994 to commemorate the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and the 50-year anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the Gwangju Biennale is now one of the leading art biennales in Asia. The Biennale fosters international cultural exchange and discourse on contemporary art, embodying the “Gwangju Spirit,” encompassing the principles of revolution, democracy, and community. Over the past three decades, the Gwangju Biennale has challenged Western-centric art narratives, celebrated cultural diversity, and tackled global issues such as climate change, race, gender, and democracy. Centered in the Biennale Hall in Gwangju’s Jungoe Park, the event has elevated the city of 1.4 million into a cultural hub of East Asia, known locally as the “City of Art, Cuisine, and Culture.” For more information, visit www.gwangjubiennale.org.