As the sole art festival to be organized by Jeju-si itself, “Art Festa in Jeju” is planning a return to Jeju residents this year. This year’s event will continue the features that attracted attention last year, such as nighttime opening and large-scale exhibitions, while simultaneously pursuing a more substantive experience.

To this end, Jeju-si will hold the 2023 Art Festa in Jeju over 10 days from Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 22 at Sanjicheon Gallery and the Sanjicheon Stream area in Jeju-si.

Art Festa in Jeju is the successor to the Jeju International Art Fair held in 2016 in Ido 1-dong, Jeju-si. Since 2020, the city government has been in charge of the festival, with the name and contents revised with each iteration. Following 2022, the festival has made a lasting impression by implementing noteworthy changes.

Such changes include the organizers’ efforts to implement and improve the elements introduced last year, such as nighttime opening from 6 pm to 9 pm; selective and focused exhibition planning such as a media facade and a lantern exhibition; participation programs such as diffuser crafting sessions; and a LOOP concert.

Other efforts include inviting some of the artists who participated in last year's lantern exhibition to exhibit at Sanjicheon Gallery; a large three-dimensional work in the shape of a whale around 7 m in length; expanding the lantern exhibition to Sanpo Square in the northern part of the city; installing an additional mesh screen to implement projection mapping; and introducing artworks by newly-hired academic staff.

The number of participating artists remained similar to last year at a total of 107 artists. 41 works will be installed at Sanjichen Gallery, and 50 works will be exhibited in the lantern exhibition, which focuses on emerging and young artists. In addition, there will be 13 outdoor exhibitions, two media facades, and one mesh screen. Jeju artists comprise about 70% of the artists, while the rest are from outside the island. Among the Jeju artists are Han Jung-ok, known for his crayon-based work, and Jeong Da-hye, who won the grand prize at the Cheongju Craft Biennale with her horsehair-based work.

With exhibitions opening until 9 pm, three-dimensional works bathed in colorful lights and eye-catching outdoor large-scale works, nighttime exhibition guides for late visitors, and handmade diffusers, the 2023 Art Festa in Jeju appears set to present a more enriching way than ever to spend an autumn evening in October.

Assuming the role of general director again following last year, Professor Oh Chang-yoon of Jeju National University commented, “The theme of this year's Art Festa in Jeju is 'LOOP; HARMONY,’” and further explained, “When the word ‘loop’ is reversed, it becomes the word ‘pool,’ which symbolizes a natural body of water, or a pool, which represents harmony, or Sanjicheon Stream itself. This encapsulates our intention to accumulate a unique identity for the festival without letting go of the unique natural and spatial characteristics of Sanjicheon Stream. We also chose this theme because we wanted to expand upon last year's festival from a more dynamic perspective.”

He added, “Under the overarching theme of ‘harmony’ that binds everything together, this year's Art Festa in Jeju also carries the secondary theme of ‘variation,’ and we hope to create a place of harmony and unity by harmoniously organizing and staging the stories behind the artists' various works.”

The exhibition will open on Friday, October 13 at 6:10 pm.