The Seoul Museum of Art is pleased to announce its open call for the position of artistic director of the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale. Since its inauguration in 2000 as an initiative of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Mediacity Biennale has earned international recognition for its experimental engagement with “contemporaneity and the changes of media in the city.” The Biennale has shared conceptual experiences on media from its precursor exhibition SEOUL in MEDIA, which was held three times between 1996 and 1999. Since then, the Biennale has presented twelve editions, each embodying varying ideas and activities that resonate with its respective time. In order to continue the pursuit of novel modes of interpreting the Biennale’s identity and extending the project’s historical continuum, Seoul Museum of Art seeks to appoint the artistic director for the forthcoming 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale through an open call process. We welcome the interest and application of experienced contemporary art curators whose proposals are experimental and convincingly reflect issues of the present in order to lead this project in its next iteration.

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale (SMB13)
–Exhibition period (tentative): August 26–November 30, 2025
–Exhibition venue: All exhibition spaces and annex galleries of Seoul Museum of Art, including the Seosomun Main Building (See SeMA’s website for information on available venues) and online
–​Project budget: approximately 2.1 billion KRW (based on 12th edition)
–Host and organizer: Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA)

Open recruitment information
–Application period: June 17–July 28, 2024
–Open position: artistic director (individual or team) for the SMB13
–Time commitment: Part-time (flexible to full-time, depending on project schedule)
–Position period: until December, 2025 (contract duration: 15 months)
–Compensation: approximately 60 million KRW (individual) / 80 million KRW (team)

Requirements
–Possess expertise related to contemporary art and similar planning experience within the past 5 years
–Contribute to the Biennale’s and Seoul Museum of Art’s domestic and international networking initiatives
–Successfully produce the Biennale exhibition and manage communications related to public relations for Seoul’s representative biennale
–Visit and stay in Seoul for a sufficient period of time
–Generate detailed plans that correspond with the systems and requirements of SeMA
–Unconditionally support human rights and reject sexual harassment and discrimination

Major roles and responsibility
–Establish exhibition theme, develop exhibition plan, select artists and artworks, install exhibited works, produce related texts and adhere to budget management policies for the SMB13
–Plan related programs, publication and events of the SMB13
–Coordinate all tasks related to public relations and sponsorship objectives of the SMB13
–Cooperate with Biennale team and other departments of SeMA including participation in related events
–Submit reports throughout the process of completing each task
–Fullfill additional requirements as determined by SeMA

Selection criteria
–Dedication to contemporary art and media art landscape based on the identity of the Biennale
–A future-oriented exhibition model that connects Seoul’s history, culture and locality to the Biennale’s experimental nature
–An exhibition plan that has not been previously realized and is distinct from other biennales

Required documents and submission
–Submission period: June 17–July 28, 2024 (midnight KST)
–Announcement of selected candidates for interviews (tentative): August 30, 2024
–Announcement of final selection (tentative): September 20, 2024
–Required documents: Application Form, Cover Letter (less than 1500 words), Exhibition Proposal, Consent for Collection and Use of Personal Information
–Please download the application forms HERE. Additional documents other than the required documents listed above will not be reviewed
–Submission: Submit the completed form via email to [email protected]. Email subject line and attachment must include applicant’s name

Evaluation process
–Document review: August 5 – 26, 2024
–Announcement of selected candidates for interviews (tentative): August 30, 2024
–Final interview: September 10, 2024
–Presentation of exhibition plan followed by questions from the interview panel
–Foreign language interpretation will be provided
–Interviews of candidates based overseas will be conducted online, unless candidates wish to travel to Seoul (transportation/accommodation not provided)
–Final announcement of final selection (tentative): September 20, 2024

Notes
–Detailed schedules are subject to change
–Recruitment process is confidential
–Applicant is responsible for any disadvantage caused by failure to follow application guidelines or errors and/or omissions of information
–If any statements included in submitted application materials are falsified, applicants may be excluded from selection
–Applicants are prohibited from accepting appointments to similar positions of other art biennales or events until the conclusion of the application period
–Submitted materials will not be returned
–Please direct any email inquiries to [email protected] or refer to the websites of the SMB13 and SeMA