Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chonnam University in Gwangju
Culture
The biggest event on Gwangju's cultural calendar is the Gwangju Biennale, the first con-
temporary arts festival of its kind in Asia. This one-month festival typically draws around
500 artists from all over the world who exhibit works tackling themes like race, industri-
alization, and ecology; it's a must-see for anyone with an interest in modern visual art, but
unfortunately, as the name indicates, takes place only once every two years. The city is also
home to a branch of the Platoon Kunsthalle, the brainchild of a Berlin-based art collect-
ive that creates malleable exhibition spaces with a focus on street art, graphic design, and
live performances. There are also several museums highlighting local history, art, and folk
traditions, and older assets, such as pavilions, ancestral shrines, and, on nearby Mudeung
Mountain, temples and Buddhist relics.
Daily Life
Gwangju's expatriate population is a few thousand strong and includes a smattering of ex-
ecutives, students, language teachers, foreign spouses, and factory workers. The city gov-
ernment is more helpful than most and supports a very active International Center, which in
addition to offering advice on settling in as well as legal and employment consultation ser-
vices, publishes a monthly magazine (
The Gwangju News
) for the foreign population. The