Korea Research Fellow 10×10 is an annual curatorial programme which invites 10 international curators to dialogue with 10 domestic Korean curators, creating a platform for exchange and discourse. Taking place as a forum as well as an exhibition, the 2021 edition pays attention to the diverse worldviews presented by curators and artists from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Korea under the theme of Me Culture / We Society.

Disruptions emerging from the COVID19 pandemic has made apparent an urgency for a new level of global connection. At present, the world is witnessing signs of a new Cold War spurred by the US-China trade conflict. Quarantine policies that have been introduced to protect each nation’s citizens from the threat of the virus have laid bare the tug of war between individual freedom and the public interest inherent within modern society. Consequently, societies are in a critical juncture of political, social and cultural environments where different values are difficult to reconcile.

Today, global hegemony has made way for national priority. Digital technology has had a major role in the breaking down of these traditional borders, but it is at the same time preventing the understanding of diverse realities. In the current hyper-connected society, there exists a global solidarity in the virtual space, but this also has the potential to spawn groups who express violence.

The call for an inclusive global solidarity is not an easy task. It is in these contexts in which the 2021 Korea Research Fellow 10×10 programme reflect upon on the social role of art in relation to diversity, sustainability, the exchange of knowledge and the fostering of global solidarity.

Organised by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), the 2021 edition is helmed by art director Daehyung Lee.