The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has appointed Irini Papadimitriou as Artistic Director of the 14th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, scheduled to open in August 2027.
 
Irini Papadimitriou is a contemporary art curator, creative director, and cultural strategist whose work has focused on contemporary art, new media art, and digital culture.
 
With an emphasis on collaborations between art, science, and technology, she explores the impact of technology on society and culture, as well as how art engages with contemporary social issues. She has curated a range of exhibitions and public programs addressing artificial intelligence, algorithms, and digital technologies.
 
Papadimitriou previously served as the artistic director of the Sea Art Festival, held in Busan in 2023, gaining further experience in the Korean art scene.

Namhee Park, Chair of the Selection Jury and Director of Nam June Paik Art Center, commented, "Grounded in thorough research, Irini Papadimitriou's proposal offered a timely and critical examination of key contemporary issues surrounding artificial intelligence, exploring the dual nature of technology and its underlying ideological foundations within an exhibition framework.”
 
Park also added, “We particularly valued the proposal's potential to develop these themes in relation to the specific context of Seoul, and to realize them through an exhibition and accompanying programs."
 
Scheduled to open in August 2027, the 14th Seoul Mediacity Biennale aims to create a space for fundamental reflection on the values and purposes that scientific and technological progress and innovation ultimately serve.
 
To this end, the Biennale will critically revisit the technologies and technological environments shaped by the logics of domination and control, seeking to reveal their underlying structures.
 
Following the theme “Machines of Repair,” the Biennale will explore an artistic imagination that poses new questions about the relationships between technology, power, and the future through a range of artworks and public programs.

Irini Papadimitriou stated, "At a time when technological innovation is too often driven by conquest, extraction, surveillance, and control, I look forward to building on the Seoul Mediacity Biennale's legacy of bringing art and emerging technologies into critical dialogue.”
 
She added, “The 14th Biennale will critically examine how these systems shape our societies and futures. Beyond exposing these realities, my vision is to open up a space for collective imagination and dialogue, asking how technology might be reoriented towards infrastructures of the public good."
 
In November, the Seoul Museum of Art will host a pre-Biennale program to introduce the key concepts and curatorial direction of the 14th Seoul Mediacity Biennale and facilitate in-depth discussions on these themes.
 
Further details, including the program's themes, participants, and registration information, will be announced on the official Seoul Mediacity Biennale website (https://mediacityseoul.kr).

References

• 서울시립미술관 보도자료 (Seoul Museum of Art Press Release)