EMAP 2026 Held in Celebration of Ewha’s 140th Anniversary
- 작성처
- Date2026.05.20
- 4733
EMAP 2026 Held in Celebration of Ewha’s 140th Anniversary
International media art festival EMAP (Ewha Media Art Presentation) 2026, hosted by Ewha Womans University and organized by the College of Art & Design, successfully concluded its run from May 11 to 17, drawing around 10,000 visitors. Due to the overwhelming response, the exhibition was extended by one day from its original schedule. Initiated in 2001 following the university’s appointment of world-renowned video artist Nam June Paik as a distinguished professor, this year’s edition of EMAP marked the 140th anniversary of the university’s founding and the 20th anniversary of Paik’s passing, taking the climate crisis and the sensory experience of water as its central themes.
EMAP 2026 featured a special exhibition titled A Million Silver Bamboo: The Rain We Share, with Frances Morris, former director of Tate Modern, serving as advisor and John Kenneth Paranada, Sungah Serena Choo, and Sooyoung Lim serving as co-curators. Through the lens of the water cycle, the exhibition explored the impacts of climate change on humanity and the environment, on urban infrastructure and the human body, and on the ocean and the atmosphere. “A million silver bamboo” (Cheonmaneunjuk in Korean) is a traditional expression that compares a torrential downpour to countless stalks of silver bamboo, evoking an era in which climate disasters have become part of everyday life. The exhibition featured works by 40 domestic and international artists, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Marcel Broodthaers, Nicolás García Uriburu, Minha Park, Bokyung Jun, and Nam June Paik.
Alongside the main exhibition, the Nam June Paik Art Center’s special exhibition Nam June Paik, Ecologist of the Videosphere shed new light on Paik’s media-ecological perspective through major works from the collection, including TV Crown, Moon Is the Oldest TV, and Elephant Cart.
The opening ceremony, held at ECC Valley, featured performances including the College of Music’s Ballet & 12 Cellos, contemporary dance, traditional Korean dance, and a laser performance by artist Jeho Yun, creating a festive atmosphere. EMAP 2026 also featured the screening program Heavy Rain, curator talks, a special lecture by Nam June Paik Art Center director Namhee Park, an exhibition of works by undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Art & Design, and the student art awards ceremony (EMAPrize).