Activists and Artists Create "Third Paradise Seoul 2026" Together

A public art event will be held in Seoul, where activists dealing with social issues and artists pair up to create collaborative projects. They will express various themes such as the environment, care, human rights, and peace through artistic work and later share the results with citizens through an exhibition.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, and Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte announced that they will host "Third Paradise Seoul 2026" at the Seoul Arts Education Center Yongsan on the 15th.

This project is based on 'Demopraxy' and 'Preventive Peace' proposed by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and the Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte. It is the second such event held in Korea, following 'Third Paradise DMZ: Demopraxy in Korea' held at Camp Greaves in Paju last September.

While last year's event focused on civil society activists discussing current issues in Korean society, this year's event will proceed in a way that artists participate to connect the discussed themes to actual artistic work.

A total of 14 teams will propose projects connected to social and environmental issues through 1-on-1 collaborations between activists and artists. Participating teams include Gonggam Human Rights Law Foundation and Kim Eun-jeong, Muui and Seo Won-tae, Korea Honeybee Ecology and Environment Protection Association and Moon Chae-min·Shin A-yeong, House Embracing Peace and Ahn Gyeong-jin, and Korean Lesbian Counseling Center and Yang Seung-uk.

Each team will conduct collaborative work based on the problems in the fields where they have been active. Through this, they will examine whether art can be used in a way that goes beyond merely expressing social agendas to leading citizen participation and dialogue.

The project results will be exhibited at Art Center Nabi in January 2027. Along with the 14 works produced at "Third Paradise Seoul 2026," archives related to 'Demopratic Opera' and 'Third Paradise DMZ' will be released. Citizen participation programs will also be operated during the exhibition period.

After the exhibition, each project will be reconnected to the activists' fields. There are plans to use the produced results as materials to expand communication and participation in civil society activities, continuing the connection between art and social movements.

'Preventive Peace' is a concept that goes beyond creating peace after a conflict has ended and aims to build social and cultural conditions before conflict and violence occur. 'Demopraxy' also emphasizes citizen participation and collective action beyond institutional democracy, and this project focuses on embodying these two concepts through artistic practice.

Read the original (Korean)