09 Mar 2011

Open Call: Sea Art Festival 2011 hosted by Busan Biennale Organizing Committee

Guidelines on the International Competition or the Sea Art Festival 2011

The Sea Art Festival, the pride and joy of Busan citizens, is an international art festival which has been held with the vast sea as its background. Launched in 1987, the Sea Art Festival was integrated into the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival(PICAF), the predecessor of the Busan Biennale, in the year 2000 and has earned the highest marks, in terms of public accessibility, of the three exhibitions of the Busan Biennale (Contemporary Art Festival, Sea Art Festival and Busan Sculpture Project). The Sea Art Festival, which has been appreciated as a unique art event exhibiting contemporary art in the natural environment of Busan, is set to take place in the year 2011, an off-year for the Busan Biennale. Though this is not the first time for the Sea Art Festival to be held on its own, separate from the other exhibitions of the Busan Biennale, this year's festival will distinguish itself from the past events in that it will unfold under the banner of the Busan Biennale and is expected to draw the attention of the global art world.

The theme of the Sea Art Festival 2011 is 'Songdo' which is the name of the beach set as the venue for the festival. The theme will serve to highlight the features of the site and enable a more active interpretation of the exhibition venue.

Songdo Beach is often cited as the 1st beach on record in Korea and was referred to as the Naples of Asia during the Japanese Occupation. Songdo Beach used to be regarded as the best beach in Busan before it suffered problems such as degradation of water quality, damage from storms and loss of sand. Songdo beach has succeeded in regaining its past fame by improving its environment and offering interesting programs for visitors.

We are looking forward to artists from home and abroad entering their works in the art festival scheduled to be held in Songdo Beach, which has been emerging as the critical part of the urban center restoration project.

Exhibition Outline

- Theme : Songdo
- Period : Oct. 1 to 21, 2011 (21 days)
- Venue : Songdo Beach
- Art works : 25 on- and off-shore installations(Competition 20 works, Invitation 5 works )

Competition Outline

- Period : Mar. 1 to jul. 8, 2011
- Art Works : 20 works(on- and off-shore installations)
- Qualification : Anyone can participate regardless of nationality.
- Genre : An individual artist(or group) can submit one work of any genre in contemporary art.(In case of a group entry, not more than 10)

* Undergraduate students can submit collaborative works only with the recommendation of their professors.

Application Information

First-round review : Documents

Documents required

- Application form 1 copy (prescribed form)
- Model drawing (showing front and side views on A3 size paper, computer graphic work 1 copy)

* Submitted documents will not be returned.
* Application from can be downloaded at the Busan Biennale homepage (http://www.busanbiennale.org).

Document submission

- Submission period : Apr. 20 to 27, 2011, by 18:00
- Submission location : Busan Biennale Organizing Committee
- Submission method : mail or in person

* Submissions arriving after the deadline will not be considered for judging. (Note : submissions will not be accepted on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.)

Announcement of results

- May 03, 2011, at Busan Biennale homepage 

Second-round review : Models submission

- Qualification : Winners of the first-round contest
- Submission period : Jul. 4 to 8, 2011, by 18:00
- Submission method : by post
- Submission location : Busan Biennale Organizing Committee
- Model size : 1.2m (width) 1.2m (length)  2m (height) (including the size of the pedestals)
- Announcement of results : Jul. 11, 2011, Busan Biennale homepage 
- Return of the model : jul, 15, 2011, 13:00-18:00

* If contestants have not claimed their work after the pickup date, the work will be disposed of at the organizer's discretion, 7days after the pickup date.

Awards

1 Grand Prize of 15 million won
1 Excellence Prize of 10 million won 
18 Special Selection Prizes of 5 million won each

Note: the two main prizes will be chosen among special selection awardees whose works have been completed and successfully installed.

* Prize money shall cover the fund required to support production. Thus, costs for production, transportation and unloading of the artwork shall be the responsibility of the artist.
* Support for artists : Expenses for accommodations and meals(for up to 10 days) during the stay for installation, equipment and support assistants shall be provided by the organizer.
* Award ceremony : The award ceremony shall be held during the opening of the Sea Art Festival on October 01, 2011

Entry requirements and compliance

- All expenses incurred in the application process(including transportation of the artwork) shall be borne by the artists.
- Artists cannot submit works that have been shown in other exhibitions. When producing works, sufficient attention should be considered to the local climate and environmental conditions.
- Technical security should be guaranteed by using materials which can minimize the adverse effects of local environmental conditions, such as typhoons, winds, and waves, as well as the damage that viewers might cause on artworks.
- Artists should regularly check the status of their works during the exhibition period especially if they are susceptible to change or damage. Artists should also cooperate with the organizer regarding exhibition and maintenance. In cases where damage prevents artists from being able to restore their work, the work can be removed or reinstalled after consultation with the organizer.
- The organizer is not responsible for any damage done to people or objects, which is the result of the artist's lack of technical security.
- If artwork needs to be insured, it is the sole responsibility of the artist.

* As for more specifics on information on Songdo Beach, you can refer to the Homepage (http://www.busanbiennale.org) of the Busan Biennale.