Korean Artist Yo-E Ryou Selected for Venice Biennale Main Exhibition

Contemporary artist Yo-E Ryou (39) will participate in the main exhibition of the 61st Venice Biennale.

The Venice Biennale Foundation in Venice, Italy announced on the 25th (local time) the list of 111 artists participating in the 61st Venice Biennale main exhibition. Yo-E Ryou is the only Korean artist included. The Venice Biennale, the world's most prestigious international art festival launched in 1895 and held every two years, will open on May 9 and run through November 22 this year.

Born in 1987, Yo-E Ryou studied visual arts and design at Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design. The artist, who had been active on the international stage centered in New York, relocated to Jeju Island in 2021 after experiencing both the COVID-19 pandemic and burnout. She then moved into a house formerly occupied by a haenyeo (female diver) and began practicing socially engaged art, conducting art education and care programs with local residents and visitors under the theme of "water, women, and Jeju." Based on her relationship with haenyeo, the artist developed works grounded in "hydro-feminism," a perspective that views humans as beings connected to other life forms on Earth. She was a finalist for the 25th Songeun Art Award last year and submitted video work as an extension of her "Breath Orchestra" project, which interprets breath-holding as a language connecting labor, relationships, and survival.

In addition to Yo-E Ryou, New York-born Korean American artist Michael Joo and Korean-Colombian artist Gala Porras-Kim were also included in the main exhibition. Gala Porras-Kim will participate as an artist in a special project jointly organized by the Venice Biennale and London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

This Venice Biennale marks the first time in its approximately 130-year history that a Black woman, Koyo Kouoh, was appointed as artistic director. However, she passed away during exhibition preparations last year, and other curatorial advisors will proceed with the exhibition. The exhibition title Kouoh chose is "In Minor Keys." The exhibition is expected to focus on shedding new light on minorities. The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale will be directed by curator Choi Bit-na, featuring artists Roh Hye-ri and Choi Go-eun.