Commencement of Grandeur for the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 on September 4, lasting 60 days
The city of Cheongju, South Korea, is set to host the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025, an exciting event that promises to showcase the best in global craftsmanship. The Biennale, commencing on September 4, will feature works by 1,300 artists from 72 countries, with over 2,500 pieces on display.
The main exhibition, titled "How does universal civilization evolve through aestheticism to become craft that coexists with communities?", will be divided into four subthemes: Crafts as Metaculture, Crafts for Aestheticians, Crafts for All Beings, and Craft with Communities.
One of the highlights of the Biennale is the special exhibition, "Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven", co-organized with the Whitworth, The University of Manchester, and the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy. This exhibition will feature artists from South Korea, the United States, Japan, and other countries, exploring the role of craft in shaping human life, art, design, and architecture.
In the Hyundai Translocal Series, Kaimurai from India transforms the impression of the Korean bell (jong) into philosophical textile paintings. Jounghye YOO from Korea creates veil works that respond to viewer movement, resonating rich cultural heritages of India and Korea. Boito from India presents new woven panels inspired by structural parallels between Korean Buddhist art and Indian traditions.
Artist Yeonsoon CHANG from Korea presents new works that explore the meditative quality and performative nature of textile labor. Youngin HONG from Korea collaborates with a women's craft community in India's Kutch region to create sensorial contemporary works. Sumakshi Singh from India explores the symbolism of a "bridge" connecting two places through a large-scale textile installation.
The Whitworth's selection of Indian textiles from its collection forms a dialogue with the new works in the Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven. Somi KO from Korea uses khadi cotton and her own "somisa" method to craft textile sculptures and garments that trace the arc of human life. PÉRO, an alternative collective from India, resists the homogenized global fashion industry through slowness and collaborative practice.
The Biennale's theme is centred around craft and its role in shaping human life, art, design, and architecture. Venerable Seongpa, a Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order, debuts a single monumental hanji work stretching 100 meters in length, surpassing traditional papermaking techniques.
The Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 is not just a showcase of artistic talent, but a celebration of cultural exchange and collaboration. The Hyundai Translocal Series examines historic and current exchanges in textile art between three cities under the theme of 'craft and community'.
Join us at the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 to witness the beauty and diversity of craftsmanship from around the world.
