From 5 September to 15 November 2026, the 16th Gwangju Biennale, You Must Change Your Life, is presented at the Gwangju Biennale Hall in Gwangju, South Korea. Curated by artistic director Ho Tzu Nyen with Che Kyongfa, Gahee Park and Brian Kuan Wood, the exhibition brings together 43 artists and groups whose practices explore transformation across different scales, from the geological and planetary to the intimate and personal. This is one of this year’s most significant Biennales.

Taking its title from Rainer Maria Rilke’s line, the Biennale considers change as an experience rather than an instruction. Presented entirely within a single building, the exhibition moves through five galleries, each proposing a distinct environment: flooded landscapes, bodies in relation, forests, darkness and, finally, air, breath, sound and language.

Across the exhibition, works unfold through different measures of time. Tehching Hsieh’s year-long performance examines endurance and discipline, while volcanic formations from Jeju introduce geological time. Artists including Rim Dong Sik, Sasaki Ken, Nina Canell, Rossella Biscotti and Goldin+Senneby appear through works made over years or decades, allowing individual practices to be experienced as evolving trajectories.

The Biennale is also closely connected to Gwangju itself. The May Mothers House presents 322 paintings created through workshops with artist Joo Hong, while Christian Nyampeta revisits the Gwangju Citizens’ Art School through workshops and a library. Huh Baek-ryun’s paintings, calligraphy and tea utensils reflect his philosophy of care for heaven, land and humanity.

The exhibition will continue to feature performances, screenings and sound works continually altering the experience of the galleries. Angela Goh’s Craft (2026) is performed four times a day, Sunik Kim’s The Light in the Factory (2026) unfolds over 496 hours, and selections from James T. Hong’s Apologies (2012–) are projected onto the Biennale Hall façade each night.