Busan is good

World-Renowned Artist Jean-Michel Othoniel Reimagines Busan... First Official WDC Busan Collaborative Exhibition Opens at F1963

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it will present “In the Labyrinth of Love,” a solo exhibition by renowned French contemporary artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, at Seokcheon Hall in F1963 from tomorrow, August 28, through December 31, in collaboration with the F1963 cultural complex as an official 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan collaborative exhibition.

The exhibition is an official collaborative exhibition designed to connect F1963, one of Busan’s signature urban regeneration assets, with world-class artistic content and expand the World Design Capital (WDC) initiative into citizens’ everyday lives through design experiences.

F1963 was reborn as a new cultural space while preserving the value of an old industrial facility, an approach that aligns with the vision of 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan to transform existing resources into new value.

Through the exhibition, Busan Metropolitan City expects citizens to see and experience Busan’s spaces, culture, and arts from new perspectives and directly experience how design can transform everyday life.

Jean-Michel Othoniel is a world-renowned French contemporary artist known for his distinctive works using glass beads, or bricks. His works have been exhibited and are held in the collections of leading cultural institutions around the world, including the Louvre Museum and Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and Leeum Museum of Art.

Drawing inspiration from mythology and symbolism, dreams and healing, Othoniel has developed a distinctive artistic world expressed through glass and light. This exhibition is his first in Busan and the largest solo exhibition of his work ever presented in Korea.

The exhibition is particularly expected to offer an experience available only in Busan, with works inspired by the city’s sea and maritime culture presented in harmony with F1963, a former industrial facility transformed into a cultural space.

The opening ceremony will take place today, August 27, at 4:00 p.m. at Seokcheon Hall and Moonlight Garden at F1963.

Around 100 guests, including Mayor Chun Jae-soo, the Chairperson of the Busan Metropolitan Council, the Chairman of KISWIRE, corporate executives, university presidents, and leading figures from the arts and culture and diplomatic communities, will attend to mark the opening of the exhibition and share the vision for the urban future pursued by 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Busan Metropolitan City will carry out a range of online and offline promotional activities so that citizens and domestic and international visitors can encounter world-class arts and cultural content and the values of World Design Capital Busan in their everyday lives.

The city plans to actively use outdoor media at major transportation and everyday-life hubs, including the media wall at the Busan Eurasia Platform at Busan Station, the media wall at Grand Josun Busan in Haeundae, Busan Metro destination information displays, bus shelters, and metro platform safety facilities, as well as citizen-participation promotional channels such as the Future Busan Design Group and New Media Members.

Through the exhibition, the city plans to promote Busan’s urban brand competitiveness, created through the convergence of industrial heritage, arts and culture, and design, both domestically and internationally. It will also continue working with F1963 to identify and implement a range of public-private collaborative projects, including programs for young designers and citizen-participation projects.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “It is especially meaningful that, in the significant year marking the 10th anniversary of F1963, we are presenting the works of world-renowned artist Othoniel in Busan for the first time and holding the exhibition as the first official collaborative exhibition of 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan. Through 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan, in which citizens, businesses, designers, and others participate together, we will continue to strengthen Busan’s urban competitiveness and brand value.”