Asia’s first urban street art festival to be showcased

The 23rd Gwacheon Festival will be held in Ilwon, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province from Thursday through Sunday.

This year’s event will showcase a total of 38 street performances that feature groups from France, the U.K., Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, and Canada. Urban street art is the theme of the festival. “We are preparing to take new steps forward based on the pride for having showcased and developed Asia’s first street art festival,” said Kim Jong-suk, the newly appointed art director of the festival and professor of theatre studies at Yong In University.

Street art groups based in Gwacheon, “Creation Focus Dandi” and “Hwarang Art Pyrotechnics,” will lead large-scale street performances, including the opening and closing pieces. Among the pieces performed by international groups, French circus group Cirque Rouages’ “Sodade” is a must-see. It delivers a poetic and lyrical story through movements beyond human limitations of four performers balancing on two constantly-moving ropes showcasing trapeze and tightrope acts.

“New performance art that hasn’t been shown in Gwacheon will be on display. We expect our citizens to lead the festival,” said Kim Jong-chun, the director of the festival and mayor of the city. Please visit www.gcfest.or.kr for detailed itinerary of the festival.


imi@donga.com