The 16th Gwangju Biennial, scheduled for September 5 to November 15, 2026, in South Korea, has announced its artist list featuring over 40 artists and groups. Curated by Singaporean artist and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen, the biennial is titled "You Must Change Your Life," a line from Rainer Maria Rilke's sonnet "Archaic Torso of Apollo." Ho, who represented Singapore at the 2011 Venice Biennale and organized the 2019 Asian Art Biennial, is working with assistant curators Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee, Brian Kuan Wood, Lee Yein, and Koyuri Sato.
The Gwangju Biennial, first held in 1995, has become one of Asia's most prominent biennials, with previous curators including Okwui Enwezor, Hou Hanru, and Harald Szeemann. This edition's focus on transformation and change continues the biennial's tradition of engaging with contemporary global art discourse. The announcement, first published by e-flux, signals the growing significance of the Gwangju Biennial as a major platform for international contemporary art in Asia.