The 2nd International Incheon Women Artists Biennale (IWAB) was comprised of  three exhibitions, along with a series of artists’ performances, an academic symposium and various other educational programs. It took place in August 2009.  The main exhibition, So Close Yet So Far Away was dedicated to the achievements of 100 contemporary women artists from Korea and abroad. The Tuning exhibition, entitled The 21st Century, The Feminine Century, and the Century of Diversity and Hope invites both male and female artists to explore human subjectivity from feminist perspectives. The Participation exhibition, Alone Together  consists of a collection of solo shows featuring Korean women artists who have supported the IWAB since its inception.  A series of artists’ performances, ran throughout the exhibition period beginning on opening day with interactive pieces by Pinaree Sanpitak, Kim Eunmi and Chae Song Wha. On August 2, at the International Symposium, scholars and critics examined the current condition of feminism, and artists will present their lived experiences in the ‘Post- Feminist’ era of the 21st century.
The Incheon Women Artists Biennale Organizing Committee (IWABOC) was developed by the Incheon Women Artists Association (IWAA). Responding to a collective demand for greater promotion of the activities of local women artists, IWAA organized an annual exhibition for its members in the 1980s. This annual show evolved into the Incheon Women Artists Biennale in 2004, the success of which encouraged the association to expand the event into an international women artists festival. After the Pre-IWAB of 2006, the IWABOC realized its first international exhibition in 2007, an event which encompassed the diverse activities of global women artists, both established and emerging. While IWABOC’s primary aim is to “advocate and promote all women artists creative endeavors without prejudice,” the IWAB envisions that femininity, or the ultimate ‘otherness,’ could serve as a “catalyst for communication between different genders,” and a “bridge between the international art community and local artists”.
The Tuning exhibition, or The 21st Century, The Feminine Century: Century of Diversity and Hope, provides an optimistic perspective on the future: “the 21st century as feminine, diverse, and free of any political, racial or sexual oppression”. ‘Feminine’ here does not necessarily serve as a gender-specific adjective, referring instead to an alternative mind-set and world view which transcends the conventional orders and hierarchical value systems that have been dominated by the patriarchal society. By inviting both male and female artists, the exhibition aims to initiate discussion with regards to current human conditions from various ‘feminist’ perspectives.
The main exhibitions took place at the Incheon Art Platform within the Warehouse Complex, which is located at Haean-dong, Jung-gu, in Incheon.
Alternative title

The 21st Century, The Feminine Century, and the Century of Diversity and Hope

Access level

Onsite

Location code
EX.KOR.IWAB.2009
Language

English, 

Korean

Publication/Creation date

2009

No of pages

306

ISBN / ISSN

Nil

No of copies

1

Content type

catalogue

Chapter headings

Curatorial Contexts of the 21st Century, the Feminine Century and the Century of Diversity and Hope - HAN Henggil, 한행길

2009 Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, Tuning Exhibition
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2009 Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, Tuning Exhibition, 2009 인천여성미술비엔날레, 조율전