The 9th Geoje International Art Festival 2023

Life is Art

The 9th Geoje International Art Festival will be held for two months from October 1, 2023 to November 25, 2023 at the Yukyung Art Museum 1-5 in the Haegeumgang Theme Museum.

This festival serves as a solid foundation for creative activities and collaborative projects between countries around the world.
I believe that through international collaboration, we have the power and the ability to promote together education for peace, and to raise awareness of important social issues by a shared dialogue.
But how can this be done when each one of us comes from a different country, a different religion, and a different culture?
The answer is Art!
Art is an international language that has the power to cross borders and connect people from different cultures and backgrounds.
The International Art Festival in Korea offers an amazing platform that exemplifies collaborative work between nations, based on mutual respect and understanding among diverse cultures.
By organizing exhibitions and other artistic events, a dialogue is created concerning important topics such as human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability, peace and more.
Moreover, by engaging in the unique cultural heritage of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, we can help promote greater understanding and respect for diverse cultures and tradition. Furthermore, we can create opportunities for visitors to learn about local art, promote underprivileged areas and transform them into vibrant cultural destinations.
Artistic activities are bound to attract tourists and visitors, and thereby help
stimulate the local economy and promote the region as a destination for tourism and culture.
Additionally, through arts education, we can help children develop important skills
such as creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking, and thereby increase their self-confidence and help them develop a sense of connection and belonging to their own communities. This way, we can help nurture the next generation of artists and cultural leaders, and create a more justice and equitable society.
However, in order to fully harness the power of art for social change, we must also acknowledge the need for continuous investment and support; providing access to funding, resources and training for artists and cultural institutions, and creating policies that promote open access to the arts for the general population.
This way we can ensure that the arts become a powerful force for positive change and global collaboration and continue to inspire us with beauty and creativity.
I am confident that by working together and embracing the power of art, with an emphasis on dialogue, inclusion and respect for human rights, we can provide a good framework for peace. The environment we create will be more suitable for development and growth, will reduce violence and conflict and thereby lead to economic and social well-being and minimize gaps between different groups in society.
The promotion of peace will also contribute to solving global issues such as
ecological preservation. It is common knowledge that, for over 70 years, the Korean Peninsula has been divided by a demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea. This area has turned into one of the most beautiful, pristine natural areas in the world, due to decades of isolation and absence of human activity and is home to a wide variety of rare plants and animal species, many of which are considered endangered.
In recent years, efforts have been made to redraw the peace map in the
demilitarized zone by making it a symbol of peace and reconciliation. As citizens of the world, we have a responsibility to protect and preserve natural areas such as this for future generations, thereby promoting peace, sustainable development, and a better future
for all.
Peace is not a passive effort but rather an active pursuit that requires us all to constantly commit to the promotion of justice, understanding and reconciliation.
May we all be catalysts for peace in our lives, in our communities and beyond.
Thank you very much to all – the museum management, my fellow judges and the artists who have dedicated their time and energy towards this noble goal of Peace through Art.