The Netherlands embassy has invited LI-MA to propose and produce an exhibition that will represent the country at the 15th Gwangju Biennale. LI-MA has worked with the embassy before, for the NEMAF festival 2018 in Seoul, for which a number of programmes and presentations/lectures on Dutch media art were put together.
 
The choice by the curators of the artist duo Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács was made after a deliberate process, in which the following considerations played a role: the status and working practice of the artists; the artists' reflection on topical themes, like the concept of wilderness, the representation of nature, and migration, also seen from a Dutch point of view; the connection of the work to an international, in this case predominantly Asian audience; and the fit of the work within the theme of the biennial.

LI-MA has been working with Broersen & Lukács since 2012; their video artworks are included in LI-MA's collection and are actively distributed. Through LI-MA, their works have been shown at many exhibitions and festivals worldwide since then. 

Exhibition: Two Songs

The theme of the biennale is PANSORI, A Soundscape of the 21st Century, after the musical form that originated in Southwest Korea in the 17th century. As landscapes are also soundscapes, the exhibition is presented in an operatic form, a visual symphony composed by international artists. This connection is perfectly embodied in the work of Broersen & Lukács, who use landscapes and songs to unravel complex narratives. Their presentation, titled Two Songs, mainly consists of two video works: their most recent work I Wan’na Be Like You (2024) and Forest on Location (2019). The works will be displayed on the top floor of the Gwangju Museum of Art, where the main exhibition of the biennale will be on view.

Both films explore the idea of 'wilderness' in Western popular culture, through music as engraved in our collective memory. In the process, the myth- and media-laced image of nature is shown as a digital construct, balancing between photographic reality and the virtual/imaginary. In this way, nature is given a voice beyond stereotypical Western representation and perception. We deconstruct the concept of nature and wilderness by thoroughly recreating it through digital means. Using technologies such as photogrammetry and 3D modelling, we create virtual replicas of ‘wilderness’ as it appears in fiction and in reality. These simulations act as stage/decor for the stories sung and whispered – as answers to questions we never had.

These works give nature a voice that transcends stereotypical Western representations, balancing between photographic reality and the virtual/imaginary. Both films explore the concept of ‘wilderness’ in Western popular culture through music ingrained in our collective memory. The artists deconstruct and digitally recreate nature and wilderness using technologies like photogrammetry and 3D modelling, creating virtual replicas that serve as a backdrop for narratives that address unasked questions.

In Two Songs, nature is the protagonist through human instruments, hovering between the physical and the virtual, the real and the imaginary. The project is not just about technology or nature, but about us –our forgotten memories and uncertain future.

About the Artists

Amsterdam-based artist duo Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen work in a wide variety of media—most notably video, animation and graphics. Through their work, they reflect on the ornamental elements of (Western) visual culture and provide them with a more political and critical layer and meaning. Their works are included in LI-MA's collection and have been showcased internationally, including at FOAM Photography Museum in Amsterdam, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and International Film Festival Rotterdam. Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács are represented by AKINCI Gallery in Amsterdam.

About the Gwangju Biennale

The 15th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, titled PANSORI, a Soundscape of the 21st Century, will bring together 73 artists from 30 countries, offering an operatic contemplation of space and its political organisation. This year’s edition is curated by Nicolas Bourriaud. 

Supported by

Arts Council Korea (ARKO), Gwangju Museum of Art, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Netherlands), Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Korea, and the Mondriaan Fund.