The Busan Biennale is a biannual international contemporary art show that integrated three different art events held in the city in 1998: the Busan Youth Biennale, the first biennale of Korea that was voluntarily organized by local artists in 1981; the Sea Art Festival, an environmental art festival launched in 1987 with the sea serving as a backdrop; and the Busan International Outdoor Sculpture Symposium that was first held in 1991. The biennale was previously called the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival (PICAF) before it launched.
The biennale has its own unique attribute in that it was formed not out of any political logic or need but rather the pure force of local Busan artists’ will and their voluntary participation. Even to this day their interest in Busan's culture and its experimental nature has been the key foundation for shaping the biennale’s identity.
This biennale is the only one like it in the world that was established through an integration of three types of art events such as a Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sculpture Symposium, and Sea Art Festival. The Sculpture Symposium in particular was deemed to be a successful public art event, the results of which were installed throughout the city and dedicated to revitalizing cultural communication with citizens.The networks formed through the event have assumed a crucial role in introducing and expanding domestic art overseas and leading the development of local culture for globalized cultural communication. Founded 38 years ago, the biennale aims to popularize contemporary art and achieve art in everyday life by providing a platform for interchanging experimental contemporary art.
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관리자 2022-12-16 14:33
b. 1938, Jangseong, South Korea
Lives in Hamyang, South Korea
In his paintings, Oh U-Am depicts his memories of his childhood, when he was orphaned during the Korean War, and the landscapes of Busan as seen in his old age. Having periodically painted on plywood while working at a Busan convent for a period of three decades, he began painting in earnest after his retirement, using left-over oils and canvas scraps from his daughter, who had been attending art school. Because of his lack of formal art training, his landscape images show a disregard for perspective, yet they convey the universal sensibility associated with society at that era through their serene, detailed depictions of the times and the people in them. He has presented his work at the solo exhibitions Life Is Beautiful (Artforum Newgate, Seoul, 2015), Sound of the Whistle (Artforum Newgate, Seoul, 2010), and Oh Woo Am (Johyun Gallery, Busan, 2000), as well as group exhibitions such as The Painting & Narrative (Museum SAN, Wonju, 2020), Tagging Art Works (Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, 2012) and Compelling Images (Artforum Newgate, Seoul, 2009).