Ex-MMCA director takes helm of Gwangju Biennale Foundation

Youn Bum-mo, the new president of Gwangju Biennale Foundation / Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale Foundation

Youn Bum-mo, former director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), has been named the new president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation.

The foundation cited his scholarship on Korean art rooted in the Minjung art movement and his leadership of major institutions such as the MMCA as key factors behind his appointment. Minjung art was a politically charged, participatory practice that took shape during Korea’s pro-democracy struggles in the 1980s.

An art critic and historian, Youn has played an instrumental role in the opening of various major cultural institutions in the country, including Hoam Gallery, which was the precursor to the Leeum Museum of Art in the Yongsan district of Seoul; Seoul Arts Center; the Lee Ungno Museum in Daejeon; and the Solgeo Art Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

He was also on the founding executive committee of the inaugural Gwangju Biennale in 1995 and later served as artistic director of the 2018 Changwon Sculpture Biennale.

First tapped as director of the MMCA in 2019, Youn was reappointed in 2022 but stepped down the following year, before completing his three-year term.

His resignation followed the unprecedented release of a government audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which cited 16 alleged instances of illegal or improper conduct at the museum, including failures to comply with designated procedures in the acquisition of artworks.

Looking ahead, the 2026 edition of the Gwangju Biennale will be curated by Singaporean artist and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen.

While the specific theme has yet to be announced, Ho’s iteration will explore collective strategies of creation and solidarities in the face of pressing global crises, from the erosion of democratic ideals to the escalating climate emergency.