As the reopening of various major museums has given hope that swaths of the art world are beginning to recover following coronavirus-related closures, two major biennials announced that they would post their upcoming editions.
South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale and France’s Biennale de Lyon said that they needed extra time for the production of new and site-specific works and raised concerns regarding international travel restrictions.
The 13th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, which is curated by Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, was set to open in September, but has now been pushed back to February 2021.
Though they tend to operate on a smaller scale than the biggest biennials, a number of art fairs—including the world’s most high-profile one, Art Basel—scheduled for the spring and summer have been pushed to the fall. Most fairs have not yet commented on concerns regarding international travel for its exhibitors and visitors.
South Korea has been among the few countries praised for its rapid response to the spread of coronavirus, though reports over the weekend saw that there had been new outbreaks following the reopening of some businesses, including nightclubs.