1st Tongyeong Triennale promotes port city as hub of arts, crafts

A poster for the first edition of the Tongyeong Triennale, which will take place from March 18 to May 8 in the port city of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of the Tongyeong Triennale Division

By Park Han-sol

The port city of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, often referred to as the "Naples of Korea," has long forged an unmatched legacy when it comes to traditional craftsmanship.

When Japan invaded Korea in 1592, famed Admiral Yi Sun-sin established his headquarters in the city to take command of the naval forces in the three southernmost provinces ― Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Chungcheong ― and protect the Joseon Kingdom's southern territorial waters.

As a new strategic military location, the port city became a production hub of high-quality war supplies and household items for local residents, eventually giving birth to a renowned group of 12 handicraft workshops. Since then, its name has been synonymous with the finest craftsmanship, involving horsehair, cast iron, wood and lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

It is this centuries-old artistic tradition that today's Tongyeong, which has been suffering for years from the recession of Korea's shipbuilding industry, has begun to revisit ― most recently by organizing its first-ever international art triennale.

Under the theme, "The Sea, The Seeds," the first edition of the Tongyeong Triennale will take place from March 18 to May 8, bringing in paintings, handicrafts, music, performance and media art to the city and its surrounding islands.

"The city's journey, with the aim of taking a new leap and rebuilding itself as the center of arts and culture, begins with the triennale," Kim Ji-in, the head of the Tongyeong Triennale Division, said during an online press conference, Thursday.

Instead of constructing a new space designated for its themed and special exhibitions, the 52-day event will take advantage of the small port city's location, taking place in the abandoned shipyard, a museum dedicated to lacquerwares, as well as on three islands strewn along the coastline ― Hansan, Yeonhwa and Saryang.

The main exhibition, "Take Your Time," will display the works of 35 artists and teams from 11 countries who take a meditative approach to art and, through immersive and sensory experience, contemplate the permanence, or impermanence, of what humans conceive as time.

"It's an invitation to take a break, to take it easy, to press pause just for a moment in these very troubled times," Daniel Kapelian, international commissioner and curator, said. "It is a call for contemplation, to elevate our minds and to reconnect with ourselves and nature through beauty, poetry and the spiritual powers of art."

A six-story laboratory building located inside the abandoned ShinaSB shipyard will invite Justine Emard, Eliza McNitt, Davide Quayola, Maarten Baas and Lim Ok-sang, among others, whose works range from fine arts and crafts to digital art, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

One of the highlights of the show will be Maurice Benayoun's neuro-design art project, "Value of Values." Viewers can design any shapes or forms virtually on the monitor through their brain waves, and even own the finished product in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Other special exhibitions focused on craft include the retrospective of Korean lacquer art master Kim Sung-soo and "Hands to Art," a visual exploration of the history of Tongyeong's craftsmanship through the development of 12 iconic artisan studios. The "Hands to Art" event will first kick off on Feb. 11 in Seoul's Korean Craft & Design Foundation Gallery and continue on at the Tongyeong City Museum during the triennale.

"I think this is a chance for Tongyeong to be part of the Korean Wave," Kapelian stated. "It's not only K-pop and K-dramas … There are so many things to know from Korea, so much rich content, so many incredible artists, so I hope that this triennale will be a good opportunity to put a spotlight on Tongyeong and the real creativity of Korea."

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