Yung Ma appointed Artistic Director for the 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale

Yung Ma currently serves as Curator of the Contemporary Art and Prospective Creation Department at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. © Seoul Mu

SEOUL.- Seoul Museum of Art announced the appointment of Yung Ma as the Artistic Director for the 11th edition of the Seoul Mediacity Biennale, which will open in September 2020. 

Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organizsed by SeMA, Seoul Mediacity Biennale is a flagship biennial project that focuses on forging new grounds between art, media and the urban fabric. Established in 2000, the 11th edition marks the 20th anniversary of this forward thinking event. 

Yung Ma’s appointment is the result of an international nomination process, and has been confirmed by a committee of leading Korean curators. On the occasion of Ma’s selection, SeMA Director Beck Jee-sook said, “I hope this upcoming edition of Seoul Mediacity Biennale will open up a new chapter for the biennale to synchronize with the other global cities, transcending ideas of borders and time.”

The upcoming edition is envisioned as having a multi-site, manifold and overlapping structure that aims to connect the biennale with the fabric of the city, echoing the early vision of the biennale, while updating it with contemporary sensibilities. Yung Ma further said that “I’m truly excited and deeply honoured to have this opportunity to organizse one of the major biennials in East Asia. I look forward to working closely with Director Beck and the SeMA team to realize the next edition, which I intend to explore the current media landscape in relation to our contemporary condition with a global perspective.” 

Yung Ma currently serves as Curator of the Contemporary Art and Prospective Creation Department at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He has recently organizsed the solo exhibition HX by Cao Fei (2019) at the museum. He was previously Associate Curator of Moving Image at M+, Hong Kong (2011–16), where he was tasked to develop the institution’s moving image collection. While at M+, he also conceived the ongoing M+ Screenings series (2016–) as well as exhibitions such as Mobile M+ Moving Images (2015). Twice Co-Curator of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2009 and 2013), Ma holds a continuous interest in blurring the lines between all forms of moving image with contemporary artistic practices. 

Details of the 11th edition of Seoul Mediacity Biennale will be announced in the coming months.