GWANGJU .- Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced that Chun Eui-Young (Professor, Kyonggi University Graduate School of Architecture) was selected as the director of Gwangju Folly III at the 145th session of its board of directors, held on September 10, 2015.

The Foundation, along with the Gwangju Folly Citizens Advisory Committee, had formed a task force to select the director to oversee Gwangju Folly III and, between January 2014 and August 2015, met 16 times to narrow down the list of qualified candidates.

The Foundation’s board of directors stated Professor Chun was considered the most suitable candidate to successfully realize the conceptual goal of Gwangju Folly III: its role in sustainable citizen participation and urban regeneration. Chun’s research focuses on urban and public spaces; he has also participated in diverse architectural projects with the emphasis on urban architectural aesthetics and the connection between architecture and citizenry. His persistent research on such matters show that his artistic visions are consistent with the motif of Gwangju Folly III.

Professor Chun, a well-known figure in Korea’s architecture and design circles, was one of the curators of Gwangju Folly II. Gwangju Folly II, which showcased eight installed artworks supporting the theme of “Human Rights and Public Space,” was able to address issues that had been associated with Gwangju Folly I by closely involving the local community in many aspects of the project, including planning and site selection. As such, Gwangju Folly II was deemed an exemplary model of public participation in an urban architecture project.

Professor Chun received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Seoul National University and a master’s degree in architecture and urban design from Harvard University. He earned his Ph.D. in architecture from Seoul National University. He served as general director of the Seoul Design Olympiad in 2009, and has worked for Seoul Metropolitan City Government as a designated public architect since 2013. He also served as a jury member of Gyeonggi Province Urban Planning Committee in 2015. As an active in-field architect and scholar, he received the 2011 Seoul Architectural Work Award for his design of the practicum complex from Kyonggi University Graduate School of Architecture.

According to the Director Chun, “Gwangju Folly should function as a project for urban regeneration that envisions a new future. It is my intention that Folly III will fulfill its role as a device to visualize the spirit of Gwangju while promoting the public’s participation in the project as much as possible.”

Previously an integral part of the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale, Gwangju Folly II was launched in November 2013 as an independent project. Under the curation of leading artists and architects Seung H-Sang and Ai Weiwei (Directors of Gwangju Folly I) and Nikolaus Hirsch (Director of Gwangju Folly II), the Gwangju Folly Project invited some of the most world-renowned artists and architects in the world, such as Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Eyal Weizman, Do Ho Suh, Ingo Niermann, David Adjaye, and Superflex to create follies in the urban space of Gwangju. Each folly accommodates a certain function within the context of the city, while retaining its potential as independently operating and read objects. They interact with their surroundings and communicate with passersby, ultimately rejuvenating the city.