Organizer Information
Busan Metropolitan City – Urban Parks Division is organizing this international open call as part of efforts to develop Eulsukdo as a focal point for environmental art and ecological culture. The project is managed by Urban Collabo Co., Ltd., which operates the Open Call Secretariat and administers submissions, inquiries and the evaluation process. The initiative aims to connect Eulsukdo’s ecological significance with art, public engagement and environmental awareness.
Title & Description
Open Call for Land·Ecological Art on Eulsukdo, Busan – We Pass, the Earth Endures
The Open Call for Land·Ecological Art on Eulsukdo, Busan – We Pass, the Earth Endures invites artists and interdisciplinary teams to propose a new, site-specific work responding to Eulsukdo’s ecological environment, history and climate-related challenges.
Eulsukdo is located where the Nakdong River meets the sea and forms part of an internationally important migratory-bird habitat. The site has experienced urban development, environmental degradation and subsequent ecological restoration. The open call asks applicants to explore relationships between humans and non-human life, nature and cities, and past and future through land art and ecological art.
Proposals may combine installations, structures and/or process-based activities and should respond directly to the site rather than treating the location merely as a backdrop. Works should demonstrate environmental responsibility throughout their lifecycle, including material selection, production, transportation, installation, operation and eventual removal.
Citizen and local-community participation is encouraged, as are interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists, environmental specialists, landscape architects, architects and other professionals.
Categories
- Land Art
- Ecological Art
- Environmental Art
- Public Art
- Installation Art
- Site-Specific Art
- Landscape Architecture
- Architecture
- Design
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Community/Participatory Art.
Eligibility
The open call is open to individuals or teams professionally active in art, landscape architecture, architecture, design or related fields.
- Interdisciplinary teams are welcome.
- There is no limit on team size.
- Overseas applicants must have basic communication skills in Korean and/or English.
- No new team members may be added after selection.
- The proposed work must be new and original and must never previously have been publicly presented, exhibited, entered or awarded in Korea or abroad as of the official notice date.
- Applicants must be able to develop a technically feasible proposal suitable for the environmental, legal and ecological conditions of Eulsukdo.
Program Benefits & Awards
One proposal will be selected. The winning artist/team will negotiate a contract covering the further development, production, implementation and installation of the work.
The support package includes:
- KRW 380,000,000 covering artwork production, implementation, installation, stays and related project costs.
- KRW 20,000,000 artist fee.
- Support for artwork stability review and insurance.
- A KRW 1,000,000 presentation honorarium for each artist/team invited to the second-round presentation review, except the participant who enters the final contract.
- Production and installation support administered and disbursed directly by the project operator.
The selected work is expected to have an anticipated lifespan of approximately three to five years, unless its artistic concept requires another lifecycle. The artist/team will also cooperate with operation, promotion, public programs, maintenance and defect rectification for one year.
Copyright in the creative work remains with the artist/team, while Busan Metropolitan City receives specified public, royalty-free, non-exclusive usage rights.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Final Deadline: 22 November 2026
- Inquiries deadline: November 20, 2026, 17:00 KST
- First-round evaluation: November–December 2026, exact date TBC
- Second-round presentation: provisionally late November–early December 2026
- Results announcement: December 2026, exact date TBC
- Selection and contract: December 2026
- Permits, approvals and reviews: January–February 2027
- Installation: March–May 2027
- Completion and opening: May–June 2027
Location
Eulsukdo, Busan, South Korea
Additional Details
This is a highly site-specific and environmentally regulated commission. Applicants should carefully study the ecological, climatic and legal conditions before preparing a proposal.
The site is subject to multiple protections, including heritage, river-area and environmental regulations. Excavation, permanent foundations, substantial ground alteration, excessive lighting and other interventions may require additional approvals or may be restricted. The work must minimize disturbance to vegetation, wetlands, migratory birds and protected species.
Applicants should prioritize low-carbon, locally sourced, natural and recycled materials. Highly reflective materials such as glass, mirrors and polished metals should generally be avoided because of potential bird-collision and ecological impacts.
The proposal must also address flooding, strong winds, humidity, salinity, seasonal vegetation, maintenance, visitor safety and the work's eventual end-of-life.
The second-round evaluation consists of a 15-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. Presentations may be conducted in Korean or English. Overseas presenters who are abroad may participate by video conference if this is declared when submitting the proposal.
Generative AI and other digital tools may be used, but their use must be clearly disclosed, and applicants remain responsible for copyright and other third-party rights.