The 15th Gwangju Biennale, held in South Korea in 2024, is likened to a grand operatic spectacle that encapsulates contemporary discourse surrounding us. Nicolas Bourriaud, who served as the artistic director, views the 21st century, overshadowed by the Anthropocene, as a pivotal era that must construct a new ontological framework. In this exhibition, Bourriaud intertwines space and sound, where their resonance and expansion provide a narrative dimension to the exhibition, much like pansori.
The exhibition is structured around three major themes, all centered on sound. The first and second exhibition halls are organized under the theme of the Feedback Effect. These sections metaphorically represent environmental degradation and urban dissonance—such as waste and overcrowding—through artworks that reflect humanity’s impact on the ecosystem.
The third hall revolves around the theme of Polyphony, marking a shift in focus from the human to the non-human. Artists in this section explore the ecological consequences of climate change and begin to present perspectives previously marginalized by anthropocentrism.
Finally, the fourth and fifth halls focus on the theme of Primordial Sound, prominently featuring artworks representing the Anthropocene. These galleries delve into invisible microscopic realms and the devastation humanity has inflicted on the natural environment.
Feedback Effect
Exhibition Halls 1 and 2 primarily deal with political, social, and environmental issues arising from overpopulation and inter-human friction on a planet that has lost its biodiversity. Emeka Ogboh’s Oju 2.0 sonically depicts the cityscape shaped by human urbanization. The work transmits faint orchestral sounds and various street noises from Ojuelegba, Lagos, Nigeria, through a dark corridor, allowing the audience to experience the chaos, disorder, and congestion of city life through auditory perception.
Lucy Raven’s Dismantling the Wall (Album 2) (2022) presents footage of real explosions in Socorro, Mexico—a town long used for explosives testing. Black-and-white landscapes repeatedly erupt into clouds of micro-particles and vivid red explosions, delivering a jarring visual impact.
Polyphonies
The third exhibition hall marks a transition to the theme of polyphony and the beginning of a shift in perspective from the human to the non-human and environmental. The works displayed here offer new viewpoints that center the non-human elements often overlooked due to anthropocentric perspectives. Franck Scurti’s Gwangju Records (2024) focuses on garbage as a central artistic element. His installation consists of wall-mounted sculptures and three pedestals displaying mushroom models. These pedestals are made from compressed waste collected from Gwangju’s landfill, while the mushroom models are covered in mold sourced from city trash bins.
Scurti reinterprets these non-human materials as organic beings with their own identity. Through this process, discarded waste is reborn as mushroom forms, provoking a sense of the uncanny and grotesque.
Primordial Sound
Exhibition Halls 4 and 5 represent another turning point in the sound-based themes of the Biennale, focusing on the concept of primordial sound. These halls engage with the Anthropocene and encounter the non-human through sensory-rich and enigmatic experiences.
Bianca Bondi’s The Long Dark Swim presents a mysterious, hyper-sensory space that evokes the impression of a miniature white salt desert. Jura Shust’s The Novice merges ancient mythological beliefs with modern technology to explore the relationship between humanity and nature. Haseeb Ahmed’s Stock Weather III combines elements representing human society—namely stock markets—with representations of nature such as weather, creating an intersection between social and natural systems.
Finally, Oswaldo Maciá’s Olfactory Sound Composition for Wind, Dust, and Breath delivers the breath of the Earth through the sounds of the wind. His work emphasizes the coexistence of humans and non-humans sharing a common planetary habitat, using sound and scent to communicate the fragility and interdependence of life.