Jeju 4·3 Art Festival <Burning Wind, Light Carried On>

Jeju 4·3 Art Festival <Burning Wind, Light Carried On>

Art Space IAA, Sanjicheon Gallery, Seogwipo Arts Center
2025. 4. 3. - 4. 30.

Watching a reality in which a second 4·3 and a second 5·18 keep recurring, we confronted the fact that history does not exist only in the past, but still carries important messages and values for all of us living in the present. This exhibition does not stop at reenacting historical events. We realize that history repeats itself, and that the pain and suffering within it are passed on to new generations. 4·3 art, which deals with history, is therefore a story that constantly reveals the ‘here and now’, and a work that carries on the flow of emotion.
Art does not merely reenact historical events. It has the power to revive suppressed memories and convey the flow of emotion. It also offers an important opportunity to reflect on how we should live in the present. Through art, the artists ask how past resistance affects those of us living today, and what role we can play within the flow of that history. Faced with these questions, we must consider together what artistic practice connects the dead and the living, the past and the present, and how history should be remembered and linked to the present.
At the heart of this exhibition is the work of transforming suffering and resistance into stories that remain meaningful to our society today, rather than leaving them as mere history. It is, in the end, an artistic effort to remember the suffering and resistance of the people and to carry that memory forward. The 4·3 Art Festival is an exhibition that recalls the pain of the past, reflects on the present, and moves toward a better society. “Burning Wind, Light Carried On” means that the flame of history keeps burning, and that within its light we are preparing to rise again.
We hope that the 2025 4·3 Art Festival will be an opportunity to look again at the meaning of 4·3 and to explore how its spirit can be reflected and carried on in the present.