Founded in 1987 as the pre-Olympics event of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the Sea Art Festival was held annually until 1993. After its eighth edition in 1995, the Sea Art Festival took a five-year hiatus and in 2000, it got integrated with the Busan Biennale, leading to this day. The Sea Festival has been known to utilize the sea, the natural environment, as exhibition space, showcasing site-specific installations, and in 2006, the exhibition began to manifest the flux and discourse of contemporary art, not limiting itself to only outdoor installations. In 2011, the Sea Art Festival faced its historic juncture when it became an independent exhibition with an intention of establishing a new art brand that is young and experimental. By hosting exhibitions by the sea, the Sea Art Festival has grown into a unique and specialized event that reflects the natural environment and conditions of the local area. The Sea Art Festival has been critical in site-specific public art, extending its exhibition space beyond cubic indoor premises to living spaces, where everyday lives are present, and blending the nature and art. Furthermore, through the formal destruction of space and the freedom of being both indoor and outdoor, the Sea Art Festival has become the unique marine art brand of Busan that is young, experimental, communicative and site-specific.
History
*After 8th Sea Art Festival, the Sea Art Festival Had been integrated into Busan Biennale and it has been held independently since Sea Art Festival 2011.
1st Sea Art Festival | 15~24. Sep. 1987 | Haeundae Beach | 32 Artists
2nd Sea Art Festival | 15~25. Sep. 1988 | Haeundae Beach | 28 Artists
3rd Sea Art Festival | 25. Sep.~3. Oct. 1989 | Gwangalli Beach | 26 Artists
4th Sea Art Festival | 5. Sep. ~ 24. Oct. 1990 | Gwangalli Beach | 27 Artists
5th Sea Art Festival | 26. Sep. ~6. Oct. 1991 | Gwangalli Beach | 27 Artists
6th Sea Art Festival | 4~14. Oct. 1992 | Gwangalli Beach | 70 Artists
7th Sea Art Festival | 1~14. Oct. 1993 | Haeundae Beach, Dongbaek Art Center | 32 Artists
8th Sea Art Festival | 22. Sep. ~ 1. Oct. 1995 | Haeundae Beach, Busan Cultural Center, Performance hall of Paradise Beach Hotel | 28 Artists
Program
The festival has been made even more diverse with the inclusion of festival programs and education programs based on cooperation with Busan-area artistic groups. It has created an environment for harmony and shared benefits for the local art community.
