Gwangju Lessons

by CHRISTIAN NYAMPETA featuring SONGDAM HONG, 5·18 ARCHIVES, ANOTHER ROADMAP FOR ARTS EDUCATION AFRICA CLUSTER (ARAC), THE 2020 COHORT OF DRAWING AND CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE III AT WITS SCHOOL OF ART
curated by BINNA CHOI


Gwangju Lessons in an exhibition curated by Binna Choi and realized in close collaboration with artist Christian Nyampeta, both of whom during their engagement with the 2016 Gwangju Biennale encountered the history of the People’s Art School as part of the 5·18 Archives in Gwangju, South Korea. Gwangju Lessons rematerializes and re-mediates the People’s Art School and the archive as a way to remember and (un)learn from the 18 May Democratic Uprising and as resources for the political struggles of today across geographies. At the core of the exhibition is Scenes from the Revolution, composed of the drawings from the People’s Art School participants as redrawn and carved by Nyampeta. Visitors to the exhibition can print these images and disseminate them anew, thus creating a ‘monument in action’ together.

Gwangju Lessons - Teaser from Akademie der Kuenste der Welt on Vimeo.

Gwangju Lessons is funded by Kunststiftung NRW.

The exhibition is part of MaytoDay, a special exhibition program hosted by the Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Asia Culture Center and Asian Culture Institute to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. MaytoDay is a collaboration between Gwangju Biennale Foundation, 5·18 Archives, May 18 Memorial Foundation, Akademie der Künste der Welt (Cologne), Art Sonje Center (Seoul) and Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts (Taipei).