Photo – The Organizing Committee of the Cheongju Craft Biennale (South Korea) archive ©
Cheongju Craft Biennale Organizing Committee held a closing ceremony at 7 pm on October 17th (Sunday), putting the biennale’s 40-day journey to an end.
309 artists from 32 countries participated under the theme of “Tools for Conviviality” and presented 1,192 artworks. This Biennale won the attention and compliments from both domestic and foreign craft-related experts for its high-quality exhibition and artistry. This year’s Biennale received great love from the audience despite the coronavirus pandemic. Even under the preventive measures against the pandemic, where the number of visitors per day was limited to 1,500, the number of on-site visitors exceeded 30,000.
As it opened in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the first online Biennale opened at the same time. As domestic and foreign visitors were limited due to COVID-19, all programs, including the main exhibition, Invited Country, International Craft Competition, Chungbuk Craft Workshop and Craft Camp were shared through the official website.
Using the 360-degree metaport 3D shooting technique, the VR gallery allowed visitors to look around the exhibition hall as if they were actually there. In particular, Online Biennale Signature, “Drone Tour” provided a new perspective for visitors by filming the indoor exhibition hall.
In addition, different online viewing methods such as “ASMR Craft” and “Vlog Craft” were filmed from the artist’s point of view. This gave viewers a glimpse of how the global Biennale is evolving in line with the pandemic era.
Although the 2021 Cheongju Craft Biennale came to an end, the online exhibition allows anyone in the world to review the event.
The Biennale’s critical success was only possible thanks to the thorough prevention of COVID-19. It is a result close to a ‘miracle’ that the 40-day Biennale was successfully completed without a single confirmed case while setting a sellout record every day in the midst of a crisis in which the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 exceeded 2,000 to 3,000 a day on average.
The 2021 Cheongju Craft Biennale was also an opportunity to confirm the solid global network that was built up through the past 11 Biennales. The organizing committee agreed to participate in the Révélations, an international craft fair to be held in Paris in 2022. An even more developed Craft Biennale will return in 2023 by establishing a tighter network with countries around the world.
