Korea brings together artists, producers, cultural leaders at ARKO Global Week
With 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture, APE Camp and international exchanges programs, Korea looks to be among leaders in culture, arts
Arts Council Korea, a national institution dedicated to promoting arts and culture, is launching ARKO Global Week — a comprehensive celebration of global artistic exchange, cross-disciplinary collaboration and cultural vision.
Scheduled from May 24-30, the cultural week brings together leading voices in the arts for a series of international programs in Seoul.
Set within the event is the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture, to take place from May 27-30 in Seoul. It is the first time this global summit of the International Federation of Arts Council and Culture Agencies is being held in Asia.
Under the theme "Charting the Future of Arts and Culture," about 400 cultural leaders, policymakers and artists from across the globe will explore strategies for building inclusive and resilient cultural ecosystems in a rapidly changing world, according to Arts Council Korea, or ARKO.
Speakers include Korean artist Kim A-young, writer Chung Se-rang, musical producer Shin Chun-soo, professor and author Lee Jin-joon and stage director Khoo Ja-hye.
From abroad, Gerfried Stocker, artistic and managing director of Ars Electronica, Austria, Michael Running Wolf, lead architect of the Mila Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Alexandra Xanthaki, UN special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Pavla Petrova, director of the Arts and Theatre Institute of the Czech Republic and Paloma Estevez, director of artistic programming at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will participate.
From May 24 to 27, the innovative APE Camp program returns for its fourth edition. Launched in 2022, APE Camp — for artists, producers and engineers — is a creative incubator that invites emerging creators to collaborate across disciplines. This year, 100 participants -- 65 from Korea and 35 from overseas -- will gather to engage in convergent thinking and collaborative experimentation, building networks that go beyond traditional artistic boundaries.
"For the first time, APE Camp is partnering with the Seoul Business Agency and private companies to create a new, mission-driven model. Participating companies assign real-world challenges, and selected teams have the opportunity to develop their projects further in collaboration with the companies," Choung byoung-gug, chairperson of ARKO, told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
"Organizers see this as a prototype for a startup pipeline, where creative ideas cultivated through APE Camp could eventually evolve into viable businesses," he added.
To enhance global exchanges, ARKO announced it has expanded both inbound and outbound exchange programs for artists.
For its outbound programs, ARKO has expanded partnerships with international organizations from 18 to 23, while also broadening the scope beyond the arts to include interdisciplinary fields.
"We will continue expanding the program internationally. In addition to our existing overseas residency initiatives, we've noticed a growing interest from international artists who, after experiencing our programs abroad, expressed a strong desire to come to Korea and collaborate here," Choung explanied, announcing the launch of a new inbound residency program open to both international and domestic artists.
The program was open to both domestic and international applicants through a global open call. Six artists from overseas and four from Korea have been selected. Beginning this month, they will begin their residencies in two sessions -- one in the first half of the year and another in the latter half.
'Going forward, ARKO will continue to respond proactively to help build a sustainable ecosystem for Korean arts and lay the policy foundation for our arts to secure a solid place on the global stage,' Choung added. 'We will work to ensure that everyone can experience and enjoy Korean arts, expanding our collaborations with more institutions across domestic and international boundaries.'
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