16th Gwangju Biennale 2026 — You Must Change Your Life
Asia's oldest contemporary art biennale returns September 5 to November 15, 2026 under the title "You Must Change Your Life", with Ho Tzu Nyen as artistic director. Open 10:00–18:00 at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, closed Mondays (open on September 7 and October 5).
16th Gwangju Biennale 2026 — You Must Change Your Life
Asia’s oldest biennale
The 16th Gwangju Biennale runs from September 5 to November 15, 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, under the title You Must Change Your Life — a line from a Rilke poem — with Ho Tzu Nyen as artistic director.
Founded in 1995 in a city defined by the May 1980 uprising, the biennale has never been a neutral art event; its politics are part of why it carries weight internationally.
Practical
Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays, with September 7 and October 5 open as exceptions. The exhibition hall is at 111 Biennale-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju.
Gwangju is around two hours from Seoul’s Yongsan Station on the KTX, which makes the biennale a long but genuine day trip — though the exhibition is large enough to justify a night. If you are already in Seoul during Frieze week in early September, the two together are the strongest fortnight in the Korean art calendar.
