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| Two French artists, Emo de Medeiros and Cecilia Bengolea, will be among 69 participants in the 13th Gwangju Biennale from Feb. 26 to May 9. / Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale Foundation |
By Yi Whan-woo
Two French artists, Emo de Medeiros and Cecilia Bengolea, will be participating in the 13th Gwangju Biennale, Asia's largest contemporary art festival, scheduled from Feb. 26 to May 9, according to the French Cultural Center in Seoul.
A Beninese-French artist, de Medeiros is based in Paris and Cotonou, the largest city in Benin, and works in various media, including painting, sculpture, textiles, photography, video, sound and performance.
His themes range from transculturalism to post-colonialism, globalization and Africa's digital transformation.
"MMF," an installation of punching bags to advocate the #MeToo movement, and the space exploration-inspired "Vodunaut" series using a motorcycle helmet covered with cowry shells and a smartphone screen displaying images from all over the world.
"I mobilize concepts, practices, images, sounds, objects, etc. of diverse origins (and) eras," he wrote on his website, noting he composes "contextures out of textures."
Bengolea is a dancer and choreographer, with a particular interest in anthropological dance that explores all forms and styles, such as modern and classical, Western and non-Western, ritual and folk, street and social, and dance and staged.
She has accordingly collaborated with artists from very different dance and cultural backgrounds, including Francois Chaignaud with whom she has performed since 2005.
The pair won the Young Artist prize at the 2014 Gwangju Biennale with two collaborative pieces, "Paquerette" and "Sylphides."
The 2021 Gwangju Biennale will be held under the theme "Minds Rising, Spirits Turning," and will be participated in by 69 artists from around the world. It will also feature 41 new commissions and exhibition venues.
The festival will showcase pieces ranging from primitive intelligent art forms ― such as shamanism ― to the cutting edge subject of artificial intelligence by delving into technology, religion, philosophy, science and other disciplines.
Held every two years, the biennale was initially planned for September 2020 but was postponed to next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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