ARTS COUNCIL MALTA
Call for an Artistic Team for The Malta Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale 2026
Responses to this ‘Call for An Artistic Team’ are to be submitted online on (https://funds.artscouncilmalta.org/app/login) by not later than 1st July, 2025 at noon (Central Europen Time).
Arts Council Malta, under the auspices of the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, has been entrusted to act as the Commissioner and the Contracting Authority of the Malta Pavilion at the 16th edition of the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea. Arts Council Malta is the national agency for development and investment in the cultural and creative sectors.
Over the past 30 years, the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea has solidified its reputation as a platform for visual arts and a vital hub for cultural exchange between nations. Since its inception in 1994, the Gwangju Biennale has evolved into one of the world’s premier biennial exhibitions and a pivotal platform for contemporary art discourse. Every two years, an internationally renowned artistic director is appointed to curate a significant space for exploring contemporary art that showcases works by artists from around the world. By consistently addressing urgent political and social issues while fostering creative artistic dialogues, the Gwangju Biennale has solidified its position as a leading hub of contemporary art in Asia and beyond.
The Gwangju Biennale is a distinctive project where international cultural and art organisations present independent exhibitions in Gwangju during the Biennale. Participation from institutions representing diverse nations is integral to its success. Collaborating with local artists and experts, these participants identify meaningful connections with Gwangju, offering a platform to showcase contemporary art from their respective countries.
The Gwangju Biennale Pavilion upholds respect for cultural diversity by allowing each pavilion to independently curate its exhibitions, offering an opportunity to display their nation’s contemporary art on a global stage. Artists from around the world address pressing global issues such as the climate crisis, capitalism, and care systems, expressing these challenges through their unique artistic perspectives and expanding them within an international context. Through this process, the Pavilion serves as a bridge for artistic dialogue, connecting South Korea and the world by exploring diverse themes that resonate universally. It fosters a platform where different approaches converge, creating meaningful exchanges and shared understanding through art.
The declared aim of the Malta Pavilion is to offer a platform through which the best Maltese contemporary artistic practices can be exposed and presented to an international audience through collaborative practices with the local community in Gwangju.
The selected Artistic Team will actively engage with the community and the artists in Gwangju, creating and showcasing artworks that could only emerge from this unique location, while at the same time also reflecting Malta.
The Artistic Team will stay in Gwangju for several weeks, creating their multi-disciplinary artworks on site and will create a programme of events for the duration of the Gwangju Biennale. Artworks could include immersive and site-specific performances, installations, set designs, music events, film and/or documentary projections, poetry readings, and dance choreographies. During the artistic residency, the Artistic Team will have the opportunity to engage with local artists and residents in Gwangju, providing them with an exchange of our cultures, and opportunities for interaction and collaboration through their art.
Arts Council Malta aims to provide Maltese artists with a creative challenge by utilising this unconventional space surrounded by its natural environment and residential homes, rather than a traditional theatre or art museum.
The Malta Pavilion is located at the Horanggasy Art Polygon Gallery, 20 Jejung-ro 47beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. The space consists of two ground floors with glass walls and wooden flooring, and one basement. Further information may be obtained from the website (http://www.horanggasy.kr/wpage/index.php).
Its location may be found on (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Nikxn3tD8WQxpqwm8).
Plans of the Malta Pavilion can be found on the Arts Council Malta website under the open call for the Gwangju Biennale.
Theme
Immersive, performative, multidisciplinary, and interactive narratives that are emotional, inspiring, and thought provoking, reflecting the world’s new contemporary realities. If the applicants are including live performances, the application needs to include a detailed plan of when the performances will be held, whether they will be held during the full duration of the exhibition, or for example for the press week launch, closing and/or during certain periods of the exhibition.
The Malta Pavilion must also take into consideration the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the actual space in which the installations will be set up in.
The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Arts Council Malta believes that the arts can lead the way and have a constructive dialogue on sustainable development. Thus, proposals which adopt sustainable practices in line with these principles will be given preference. For more information refer to: (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/). This is also in line with Arts Council Malta’s Strategy 2025.
For Clarifications and FAQs, potential applicants should refer to the Arts Council Malta website or send an email to (
[email protected]).
9th May, 2025
