Koganecho Bazaar 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale Ongoing

2026.9.5 – 11.15

Koganecho Bazaar 2026 Part 1 exhibition poster
Koganecho Bazaar 2026 Part 2 exhibition poster

Koganecho Pavilion Official Promotion Page

Visit the Official Promotion Page ↗

Artistic connections forged across Asian cities unfold at the

At the Koganecho Pavilion for the 16th Gwangju Biennale, we present “Koganecho Bazaar 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale,” featuring 10 arts organizations and 13 artists from five countries in East and Southeast Asia

An artistic network that began in a single neighborhood in Yokohama is coming to Gwangju, South Korea. The Koganecho Area Management Center (hereinafter “Koganecho”) will showcase the fruits of the exchanges it has cultivated over many years with arts organizations across Asia at the Koganecho Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale.

“Koganecho Bazaar 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale” will be held from September 5 to November 15, 2026.This collaborative exhibition features 10 institutions from five countries in East and Southeast Asia: Japan, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea. Thirteen artists nominated by the participating institutions will present their works at the Zennichi Building 245 Citizens’ Gallery, while the Higashi Ward Humanities Hall will host an archival exhibition tracing the background and history of this art network.

Koganecho is an art platform in Yokohama that has grown through community revitalization and artistic activities. Launched in 2008 and held annually ever since, the Koganecho Bazaar has sought to transform the area—once known as an entertainment district—while experimenting with ways to present contemporary art in the city’s “blank spaces,” such as vacant storefronts and empty lots.Since its establishment in 2009, the Koganecho Area Management Center has collaborated with arts organizations across Asia to expand the possibilities of community-rooted artistic practice through exhibitions, residencies, and exchange programs.

Exhibition Part 1: A Town That Breathes as If It Were Alive

The exhibition, held on the 3rd floor of the Zennichi Building 245 Citizens’ Gallery, is subtitled “A City That Breathes as If It Were Alive.” Here, the town and the city are viewed not as static landscapes, but as living entities in constant motion and flux.In cities where conflict and coexistence, change and vulnerability intersect, what can art document, and what kinds of relationships can it forge? This exhibition explores these questions through works from various regions.

The 13 participating artists are Shinobu Soejima, Hanxuan Jiang, Bui Bao Tram, Chau Bao Nhi Ha, TRAN Thao Mien, Wei-Wen Fang, Yi-Min Huang, Yen-Yi Chen,Ji-Heng Xiao, Seung-taek Kim, Jong-Hyun Lee, Hyang-Hui Lee, and Seong-A Sim.Their practices, which employ diverse media such as video, installation, drawing, sculpture, painting, and photography, emerge from the unique circumstances of each city. Brought together in a single exhibition space, these works highlight the relationships between the region and art, as well as between people and place.

Exhibition Part 2: Time of Relationships—Networks Seen Through Archives

“Time of Relationships—An Archive Exhibition,” held at the Dong-gu Humanities Hall, is a joint project organized by the Koganecho Area Management Center and Gwangju Dong-gu.Through archival materials and records, the exhibition presents the history accumulated through the relationships between art institutions. It traces the urban and social conditions in which Koganecho and art institutions in East and Southeast Asia have operated, as well as the processes through which their respective activities have intersected and formed connections.

Participating institutions include the Koganecho Area Management Center, A4 Residency Art Center, Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network, Absolute Space for The Arts, Space PPONG, 653artfirm, Daegu Art Factory (part of the Daegu Foundation for Culture & Arts), The Historic Downtown Culture Cluster Totatoga,97 West District International Art Community, and Higashi Ward Humanities Academy. What visitors will encounter here is not merely an exhibition as a finished product, but a single moment in the ongoing dialogue that different cities and institutions have built over many years.

Reimagining Locality and Internationality in Gwangju

This pavilion reexamines the concept of locality within the framework of an international exhibition. The experiences Koganecho has accumulated in Yokohama expand into new questions through its encounter with the city of Gwangju.How can community-rooted artistic practices connect with other cities? How can networks between arts organizations endure beyond the exhibition and generate new possibilities? Through artworks, archives, and related talks, the Koganecho Pavilion shares these questions with visitors.

A talk event related to the archive exhibition will be held at the Higashi Ward Humanities Hall on September 6, 2026, starting at 3:00 p.m. Representatives from participating organizations will introduce their respective activities and discuss ways for the local community and the arts to coexist.

Exhibition Overview

The 16th Gwangju Biennale Pavilion: Koganecho Pavilion

Part 1 Exhibition Overview

Item Content
Exhibition Koganecho Bazaar 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale
Subtitle A Town That Breathes as If It Were Alive
Venue 3rd Floor, Citizen’s Gallery, Zen-Nichi Building 245
Address 245 Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea (61475)
Phone 062-225-0245
Exhibition Period September 5–November 15, 2026
Opening Hours 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Chuseok (September 25)
Admission Free

Participating Artists

  1. Shinobu Soejima

  2. Hanxuan Jiang

  3. Bui Bao Tram (Rab)

  4. Chau Bao Nhi Ha

  5. TRAN Thao Mien

  6. Wei-Wen Fang

  7. Yi-Min Huang

  8. Yen-Yi Chen

  9. Ji-Heng Xiao

  10. Seung-taek Kim

  11. Jong-Hyun Lee

  12. Hyang-Hui Lee

  13. Seong-A Sim

Organizer

Supported by

Organized by

In cooperation with

A4 Residency Art Center, Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network, Absolute Space for The Arts, Space PPONG, 653artfirm, Daegu Foundation for Culture & Arts, Daegu Art Factory, The Historic Downtown Culture Cluster Totatoga

Part 2 Exhibition Overview

Category Content
Exhibition Koganecho Bazaar 2026 at the Gwangju Biennale
Subtitle Time of Relationships—Archive Exhibition
Venue Higashi Ward Humanities Hall
Address 168-5 Donggyecheon-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea (61436)
Phone 062-608-2176
Dates September 5–November 15, 2026
Opening Hours 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Chuseok holiday period (September 24–26), Foundation Day (October 3), Hangul Day (October 9)
Admission Free

Archive Exhibition Participating Organizations

  1. Koganecho Area Management Center (Japan)

  2. A4 Residency Art Center (China)

  3. Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network (AiRViNe) (Vietnam)

  4. Absolute Space for The Arts (Taiwan)

  5. Space PPONG (South Korea)

  6. 653artfirm (South Korea)

  7. Daegu Foundation for Culture & Arts Daegu Art Factory (South Korea)

  8. The Historic Downtown Culture Cluster Totatoga (South Korea)

  9. 97 West District International Art Community (Longhu Town & Xiamen University) (China)

  10. Dong-gu Humanities Academy (South Korea)

Organizer

Supported by

Organized by

In cooperation with

A4 Residency Art Center, 97 West District International Art Community (Yonghu Town & Xiamen University), Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network, Absolute Space for The Arts, Space PPONG, 653artfirm, Daegu Foundation for Culture & Arts Daegu Art Factory, The Historic Downtown Culture Cluster Totatoga

Media Inquiries

Koganecho
Area Management Center Email:
info@koganecho.net電話: +81 45 261 5467

前往藝術家列表