Ho Tzu Nyen to Lead 2026 Gwangju Biennale
By Louis Lu
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Portrait of HO TZU NYEN. Photo by Stefan Khoo. Courtesy a+ Singapore.
The Gwangju Biennale has announced Singaporean artist and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen as the artistic director of its forthcoming 16th edition. With this appointment, the event breaks away from its tradition of being helmed by prominent curators such as Nicolas Bourriaud, Okwui Enwezor, and Hou Hanru..
Ho is known for his films, video installations, and performances that explore themes of mythology, cultural identity, and history in Southeast Asia. In 2011, Ho represented Singapore at the 54th Venice Biennale and later participated in the Shanghai Biennale (2014), the Aichi Triennale (2019), and the Sharjah Biennial (2019). In 2018 and 2021, Ho took part in the Gwangju Biennale, and in 2019 he co-curated the Asian Art Biennial in Taiwan.
According to a press release, the Gwangju Biennale selected Ho for his proposal which foregrounds “the transformative power of art,” as well as his curatorial approach that is “designed to ignite a much-needed driving force in a time of global uncertainty.”
In a statement, Ho expressed gratitude over his new role, describing it as “a dream come true to return to Gwangju, not as an artist but as artistic director, and to embark on such a unique journey in this remarkable city.” He added that this edition “will bring together the energies, propositions, practices, and ideas that have inspired and propelled me over the past two decades. It will be an opportunity to explore how the practice of artistic transformation resonates with Gwangju’s legacy of democratic change. Rather than delivering a single message, this Biennale will seek to generate propositions for change that are shared and shaped by all of us.”
The 16th Gwangju Biennale is set to open in September 2026.
Louis Lu is an associate editor at ArtAsiaPacific.
