Asia the Future, Gwangju Design Biennale 2017

Future value discovered in Asia Only with industry and technologyit is not enough to tell the future.We can find another direction for the future in near and familiar culture of Asia.Asia the Future is an exhibition to explore the future value and philosophy in the Asian design. Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and so on. make authentic handmade design with traditional techniques and natural materials. Various products, combining traditional designs with modern design are displayed with Asian traditional type of space, which make people feel the natural pursuit of happiness.

The attitude toward life reflected in the Asian design philosophy asks us to question on what true happiness in life is all about and what role design should take in the face of changing futures.

Highlights

Eunilee
by Eunil Lee
Lee Eunil is an international fabric designer based in the Philippines. Lee mostly uses natural materials, but alongside the addition of futuristic elements.

Sali
by Thimi Ceramics
According to the Nepali custom, these small vessels are broken after a single usage, representing the spiritual ideologies of Nepal and embodying the natural cycle of human lives.

Asian Elements : 100 Objects
This collection of objects is a comprehensive display of around 100 materials, patterns, colors, samples, photographs, and accessories that symbolize Asia

Sarong
by Sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Korea
The beauty of minimalism is demonstrated through the dress culture in Southeast Asia, in which Sarong completes a stylish outfit simply by wrapping the body.

Friends ‘N’ Stuff
Friends N Stuff, a social enterprise program that consists of a home-based production and training program as a means to seek sustainable ways to provide economic support for underprivileged.

Zaza Side Chair
by Kenneth Cobonpue
The whimsical and ingenious design that draws inspirations from nature casts a theatrical backdrop to any space, and the seemingly delicate fronds wrapped in microfiber provide supple back support.

Yothaka International
by Suwan Kongkhunthian
lifestyle concepts with unique Asian characteristics mixed with modern design concepts, and created with the most eco-friendly materials.

Kedai Bikin
by Kedai Bikin
Merdeka means “independence” in Malay, and this chair carries significant meaning as a legacy of the 60s and the modern history of Malaysia.

Nipa Hut
by Art:in
This housing culture is symbolic of Southeast Asia’s eco-friendly, practical and minimal sense of architectural aesthetics.

A Close Shave in Hanoi
by Ian Robert knight
This photograph captures the scene of a mobile barbershop, a rather common sight throughout the streets of Southeast Asia. It shows a barbershop culture where only the bare minimum is needed.

Ango
by Angus Hutcheson
Natural untreated silk cocoons were one of the first natural materials. much of the magic stems from light being refracted by the light at different angles, so producing subtly different colours.

A Vietnamese Street barber reads a newspaper wh…
by Morgan Ommer
This photograph captures the leisurely scene of a barber reading a newspaper while waiting for customers at the corner of an art street in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Nala
Nala’s colorful, timeless, and distinctive collection is completed by the modern reinterpretation of the motifs discovered in Malaysia’s unique traditional culture.

Royal Selangor
Royal Selangor presents sophisticated products in various collections with the sensibility of contemporary design suited to today’s lifestyle, based on Malaysia’s historic tin craftsmanship.

Crafactor
inspired by the mosaic technique of the Thai temple and the organic lines of nature and is actualized through the revival of skillful crafts techniques with the help of modern design sense.

The International Supportive Center of Arts
by Thailand International Arts and Crafts Support Center
This exhibition introduces products that add the sensibility of modern design to Thailand’s rich production base and traditional handicraft techniques.

Museo to sell
by Designed by Fenomeno and Maeng Sun-Pil / Crafted by Han Gyeong-Hui, Choi Seok-Hyeon, Shin Gyeong-Sik, Jang Guk-Sin and others
The theme of “Museo to Sell” reflects the spirit of craftsmen and the techniques of the times.

Korakot
by Korakot Aromdee
Inspired by the surroundings in local towns as the foundation of local residents’ livelihoods, Korakot produces lighting products that combine natural materials such as bamboos and hemp ropes.

Gwangju Design Biennale
The Gwangju Design Biennale, hosted by Gwangju City and organized by the Gwangju Design Center (GDC) Foundation, is held biennially at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall within the Gwangju Jungoe Park and other downtown areas in odd-numbered years between September & October, with various exhibitions and events. Along with exhibitions containing the discourses as the Design Biennale’s values, the Gwangju Design Biennale, is attempting to present the future and expand aesthetic, practical and economic values as designs’ attributes.

Located in the South West of the Korean peninsula, Gwangju has been known for its historical tradition of art and culture. Gwangju Biennale has contributed to its budding progress and to the emergence of Korean art on the international stage. The Gwangju Biennale, as such, has been a driving force for the contemporary art of Korea and an agent linking the arts throughout the globe.

For the last twenty-three years, the Gwangju Biennale has emerged as a network for international cultural exchanges and a platform for the visual arts, while producing discourses on contemporary art. Embodying the general value of human civilization through the medium of the visual arts, the Gwangju Biennale will continue to disseminate messages of democracy, human rights, and peace throughout Asia and the world, as well as within local communities.

The Gwangju Biennale will always reflect the vigor of its establishment and endeavor to lead aesthetic discourses on experimental and cutting-edge arts, while providing opportunities for more communication with the public and exploring the spirit of our time. We pursue for constant change and innovation to always seek for something new in order to solve our concerns and uncertainties about the present and the future.