The 13th Gwangju Biennale will hold its opening ceremony on March 31 and run through May 9. The photo shows a scene from the dance work "Alone Together" by Swiss choreographer Anna Anderegg. (Gwangju Biennale)

By Yoon Hee Young

The Gwangju Biennale, the biggest art festival in Asia, on March 31 will hold its opening ceremony and run through May 9.

This year's event is the 13th of its kind and will be held under the theme "Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning"; venues include Gwangju National Museum, Horanggasy Art Polygon and Cinema Gwangju. A combined 69 artists will showcase about 200 works in the biennale.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, artificial intelligence quarantine robots will disinfect the exhibition spaces.

Daily visitor capacity is also limited according to quarantine measures.

The app "QPicker" provides an official audio guide providing commentary on the artworks to strengthen noncontact service for visitors.

Shuttle bus service to and from the main exhibition sites including the museum and the cinema will also be operated.

The exhibition was postponed from September last year to last month due to the pandemic. Because the coronavirus continued to spread, the opening ceremony was postponed again to March 31.

hyyoon@korea.kr