2026 Seomjin River International Experimental Art Festival (SIEAF)

The 2026 Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival is an international experimental art festival held in Gokseong, Jeollanam-do, utilizing the region's natural and living spaces—including the Seomjingang and Daehwanggang rivers, forests, rice paddies, and gardens—as its stage. Key programs consist of the Archive Exhibition, SIEAF Colloquium, Rice Paddy Fashion Show, the opening program ‘WITH Dokkaebi & Toad,’ a Movement Healing Workshop, an Oxygen Concert, and a Flower Parade. The SIEAF Archive Exhibition is a conceptual exhibition utilizing various records from the 2025 Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival and rural-related objects, serving as a catalyst program to welcome the 2026 SIEAF together with local residents. The SIEAF Colloquium is a discourse program held at the Bitmaru Center, featuring presentations and discussions on themes such as the history and folklore of the Seomjingang River, the role of rural community leaders, and the creation of a glocal rural culture through art. Participants from the Gokseong Cultural Center, rural researchers, local activists, and art professionals will engage in informal discussions aimed at fostering a symbiotic relationship between a rural utopia and an art utopia. The Rice Paddy Fashion Show is a rural-friendly program that utilizes the rice paddy ridges as a stage space during the season when rice ripens. It features clothing made from natural materials and inspired by local agricultural specialties, and consists of a fashion show and performances involving local residents, children, senior models, artists, and local cultural and arts organizations. The opening program, "WITH Dokkaebi & Toad," is a performance held at the Amnok Recreation Area, where the Seomjin River and Daehwang River converge. Based on the goblin folklore and toad imagery passed down in Gokseong, the program includes Life Rituals, Goblin Rituals, media art, world music, dance, Butoh, Korean traditional music, percussion, vocal music, installation art, and drone performances. "Goblin Rice," collected through resident participation, is transformed into liquor and rice cakes to be shared by artists, residents, and the audience, culminating in a contemporary artistic ritual performance that expresses gratitude for the harvest and prays for the well-being of the residents. The Oxygen Concert and Movement Healing Workshop are meditation and healing concerts held in Ok and Mugeun Forest. The Movement Healing Workshop consists of body warming, body care, movements connecting with nature, movements to find personal rhythms, and dances of connection. The Oxygen Concert features nature-ecologically oriented programs that combine the natural sounds of the forest with acoustic performances, singing bowls, vocal music, Barachum dance, performance art, meditation, and installation art, offering a time to resonate as part of nature. The Flower Parade is an art parade program held at the Seomjin River Fairy Tale Garden, in which artists, residents, local clubs, and visitors participate together. It includes processions and performances utilizing costumes and props, as well as flower-themed experience programs and workshops, while installation art, music, dance, juggling, harmonica, and singing bowls welcome the audience.