The Path Creators Walk

The 2025 Geumgang Nature Art Pre-Biennale presents The Path Creators Walk along the alleys of Jemincheon and Ungjin-ro, welcoming the season when dragonflies return.
This place was once an alley filled with warmth and romance. Children and students who used to roam these streets have now grown into middle-aged adults, reminiscing about their memories. While they left the alleys to pursue their lives, the once bustling streets grew quieter. The Path Creators Walk is an urban ecological project that adds new social vitality to these now-lonely alleys. Just as the Geumgang Nature Art Biennale has brought new stories and expressions to Yeonmisan Mountain over the past 20 years, artists descending from Yeonmisan Mountain sought connections that would invigorate Jemincheon and Ungjin-ro.

The challenges facing the current old downtown are not unique to Gongju but are common issues faced by major cities worldwide. The more prosperous a city once was, the harder it is to find solutions in today’s context. While the approaches may differ from city to city, whether through preservation or development, what matters is that new memories and experiences can be written into these alleys. The 2013 project, the Alley Where Dragonflies Lingered, demonstrated the potential for alleys and art to coexist. Now, in the season when dragonflies return in 2025, The Path Creators Walk presents a vision for the coexistence between art and the alley, and more broadly, between art and urban ecology.

Artists from around the world participate in the 2025 Geumgang Nature Art Pre-Biennale : The Path Creators Walk. Gongju, with its abundant nature, ample passage of time, and proud world heritage, inspires artists from everywhere. This Pre-Biennale creates an urban ecology in Gongju’s alleys where nature, world heritage, and the future cultural legacy of creators coexist. Steps echoing through alleys, voices that never fade, and memories that are shared over time. Today’s art becomes tomorrow’s heritage, presenting urban-friendly works that thrive in harmony with the city.

“Only creators can present goals worth pursuing. They can give meaning to this land and promise a future.” We invite you to stroll through The Path Creators Walk, the alleys of Gongju where city and humanity, and humanity and nature, coexist—and where stories of people from around the world converge.

Lee Juhee / Art Critic