A myriad of cultural events, ranging from arts exhibition to performances are to take place throughout Gangwon Province, home to the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, during the games period.

Of numerous events vying for visitors‘ attention are arts exhibitions and performances, held under theme of light.

Located at PyeongChang Olympic Plaza, the Culture ICT Hall will host a contemporary arts exhibition including some of Korea’s most acclaimed artists in the Olympics host city.

Under the theme of “Light Pyeongchang,” the exhibition at the Culture ICT Hall will provide visitors with an opportunity to view a collection of arts on loan from other institutions, such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Olympics host city.

The exhibition will comprise of works by Paik Nam-june, Lee Jung-seob, Kim Whan-ki as well as Lee Ufan. 

Paik’s video artwork “Turtle” -- created in tribute to the Joseon era‘s Admiral Yi Sun-shin and his valiant fight against Japanese invaders -- is an eye-catching installation art. The 10-meter-wide and 1.5-meter- high installation is made up of 166 television sets, dispersing lights inside the hall. Another one of Paik’s well-known works “M200” is also on display at the exhibition which will officially open on Friday, the start of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Another art event with the theme of light is the Fire Art Festa 2018 on Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, which started a week ahead of the Olympics. The Fire Art Festa 2018 is an outdoor art performance that is similar to Nevada’s Burning Man, or Spanish festival Falles, events during which people gather to burn their artworks. 

Under the theme of “A song dedicated to fire,” -- a title based on an ancient Silla-period song of the same title set in Gangwon Province -- a total of 34 artists from Korea and abroad will contribute some 30 artworks to burn.

The Fire Art Festa will hold performances every weekend, featuring art teams from abroad, including Japan’s Fire Bandit, Russia’s L-show Group and Ukraine’s Adelaida. The event will run through Feb. 24.

At Gyeongpo Lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, there is also a light art show called “Moonlight Lake.” A moon-shaped balloon floats on the surface of the lake and artistic images will be projected on it. The light show will run through March 18.

Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)