First 2026 Focus On project opens in Busan from August 13 to 29

According to SayArt on August 13, "Sung Baeg Performance Archive: Testimony of the Body, Messenger Beyond Boundaries 2000-2026" will be presented from August 13 through 29 at openARTs spaceMERGE? in Busan's Geumjeong District. The exhibition is the first project selected under the 2026 Focus On artist support program sponsored by the Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Cultural Foundation.

The exhibition examines performance artist Sung Baeg's work through archival materials documenting projects created since 2000. Performance recordings, photographs and critical writings are presented together to introduce both the artistic process and the historical context of the works.

Organizers said the exhibition aims to preserve performance art, which often exists only temporarily, by reconstructing it through archival documentation and critical interpretation. The project also seeks to establish a long-term digital and historical record of the artist's practice.

Based in Busan since the late 1990s, Sung Baeg has developed an artistic practice centered on the concept of openARTs, integrating sculpture, painting, installation, performance and digital technology. His 2000 solo exhibition "Remembering the Butterfly…" introduced internet live streaming into performance art, while later projects such as ARTsBUS explored themes including war, division and climate change through site-specific artistic actions across Eurasia.

The exhibition features ten representative works selected jointly by the artist and art critics Kim Sung-heon, Kim Jong-gi and Lee Hyuk-bal. Highlights include "Remembering the Butterfly…," the ARTsBUS series, "Save Myanmar," and the environmental performance works "Messenger_Mother's Sea" and "Messenger_Father's Land."

The exhibition also adopts a documentation-based curatorial format known as DOCU-RATING, combining archival footage with critical texts to present both the performances and their historical and artistic contexts.

An "Critics & Artist Talk" will be held at 5 p.m. on August 13 with Sung Baeg and the three participating critics. The discussion is scheduled to cover the selection of representative works and the role of archives in documenting performance art.

Sung Baeg currently operates openARTs spaceMERGE? and has served as a curator and artistic director for projects including the Busan International Performance Art Festival. The exhibition is expected to provide an example of how performance art archives can be preserved and interpreted, while contributing to future research and exhibition initiatives.

SayArt.net
Maria Kim sayart2022@gmail.com