The Seoul Museum of Art has appointed Irini Papadimitriou as the artistic director for the 14th Seoul Media City Biennale, scheduled for August 2027.
Irini Papadimitriou is a contemporary art curator, creative director, and cultural strategist focused on contemporary art, new media art, and digital culture. She is interested in the impact of technology on society and culture, as well as how art engages with contemporary social issues, having organized various exhibitions and public programs surrounding artificial intelligence, algorithms, and digital technology.
She has served as the digital program manager at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK, head of new media art development at Watermans, and creative director at FutureEverything. Currently, she is the exhibition director at Diriyah Art Futures in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The international call for artistic director proposals, the third of its kind, ran for 90 days from June 3 to August 31, 2026, receiving a total of 70 submissions from contemporary art curators and researchers across Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. The selection process involved two stages: an initial document review followed by interviews.
Park Nam-hee, the chair of the selection committee, stated, "Irini Papadimitriou's proposal was based on thorough research, structuring key contemporary issues surrounding artificial intelligence into an exhibition, and demonstrating a timely awareness of the dual nature of technology and its ideological foundations." She added, "I particularly appreciated how the proposal connected with the specific context of Seoul, expanding the theme and enhancing the potential for realization through exhibitions and programs."
Irini Papadimitriou expressed her excitement and honor at being appointed as artistic director, stating, "Today, technological innovation often operates on the dynamics of conquest, resource extraction, surveillance, and control. At the 14th Biennale, I will critically examine how these systems shape our society and our future." She further noted, "I aim to create a space for exploring and discussing the potential for technology to be reoriented as a foundation for realizing public values."
The Seoul Museum of Art will hold a forum-style pre-biennale program in November to share and discuss the main concepts and planning directions for the 14th Seoul Media City Biennale.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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