2024 Seoul Performing Arts Festival
New Narratives: Returning the Gaze
We invite you to ways of seeing things differently.
John Berger, a photographic theorist and art critic, says in his book , “The way we see
things is affected by what we know or what we believe.” But he also says, “Each evening we see the sun
set. We know that the earth is turning away from the sun. Nevertheless, this knowledge does not
necessarily correspond to what we see with our eyes.” Like this, the relation between what we see and what
we know continually changes, depending on your perspectives, emotions and thoughts as well as your
position in time and space. It is never settled.
Organized under the theme of “New Narratives: Returning the Gaze,” the 2024 Seoul Performing Arts Festival
presents a new perspective of our changing times as well as diverse creative views by the artists. The
Festival is about ways of seeing things differently, from a variety of perspectives such as
Arab·Islam·Middle East, women, disability and Asia-Pacific geo-politics and decolonization. It is also a
gaze of a new relation between the arts and technology/ science, reinterpretation and deconstruction of
the classic, expansion and variation of sound in a performative way, and examining the human inner self
through the philosophy of the body.
This year’s SPAF is coming to you with 16 performances (theater, dance and multidisciplinary), two
creative labs and various workshops. You will discover a wide range of narratives and gazes, starting from
very personal narratives led by artists to gazes of imagination that involve social, cultural, political
and different sensory experiences. We look forward to this occasion for profound reflection shared with
all of you, throughout the month of October. We always deeply appreciate the audiences who join us to make
the festival together.
The Seoul Performing Arts Festival is Korea’ oldest and largest
performing arts festival representing the country.
SPAF 2024 is co-hosted by the Korea Arts Management Service
(KAMS), National Theater of Korea and Seoul Foundation for Arts and
Culture.
Celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, the 2024 Seoul Performing
Arts Festival (SPAF) takes place from Thursday, October 3 to Sunday,
October 27 at venues including Daloreum Theater at the National
Theater of Korea, Daehakro Theater QUAD, Arko & Daehakro Arts
Theater, PLATFORM-L, Arts Korea Lab and LG Arts Center.
TITLE
2024 SPAF 2024 Seoul Performing Arts Festival
DATE
10.3(Thu) ~ 10.27(Sun), 2024
VENUE
National Theater of Korea, Daloreum Theater,
SFAC Theater QUAD, Arko Arts Theater, Daehakro Arts Theater, PLATFORM-L,
Arts Korea Lab, LG Arts Center
CO-HOST
Korea Arts Management Service, National Theater of Korea,
Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture,
ORGANIZER
Korea Arts Management Service
SUPPORT
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,Arts Council korea,Korea Disability Arts & Culture Center,Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels,Creative Australia,
Australian Embassy in Korea,Goethe-Institut
COOPERATION
Arts Korea Lab, Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, PLATFORM-L,
Literature Translation Institute of Korea, Artists’ Residency at Arts Farm Tutbat – Climate Change,
Literature Translation Institute of Korea
WORKSHOP FESTIVAL Master class, Workshop, Artist Talk. Round Table. etc