'Korean Spring' Blooming in Nantes Bears Fruit as 'French Autumn' in Gwangju
The 'Korean Spring' festival, which has taken root in the French city of Nantes over the past 13 years while promoting Korean culture, has now moved to Korea and is bearing fruit as a new bidirectional cultural exchange called the 'French Autumn.'
The 2nd 'French Autumn Festival in Korea (2e AUTOMNE FRANÇAIS EN CORÉE),' commemorating the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations, will be held for four days from October 9 to 11 at Urban Brook, a complex cultural space in Nam-gu, Gwangju.
The festival's most distinctive feature is that it moves away from the unidirectional consumption of culturally prestigious content and focuses on the 'experience and growth' of young artists and chefs who learn, challenge, and develop through direct engagement and exchange.
"Why Should Cultural Exchange Flow in Only One Direction?"...A Signal for Bidirectional Exchange
The midwife of the 'French Autumn Festival' is gayageum performer and composer Lee Jung-ju, who serves as artistic director. Having been active in Nantes for over 15 years and founding the 'Korean Spring' festival in 2013, he has introduced Korean music, art, and culture to the local community.
Director Lee stated, "If 'Korean Spring' bloomed in France, then 'French Autumn' should also bear fruit in Korea," and added, "Rather than a massive national project, I wanted to create a space where artists, craftspeople, chefs, and local residents meet directly to share their lives and creative works."
This philosophy led to the establishment of a nonprofit organization called 'Maison Ieum (MAISON IEUM),' a sustainable Korea-France cultural exchange platform. Like the name 'Maison' (home), it aims to be a cultural sanctuary connecting people with people, cities with cities, and Korea with France, with plans to expand the scope of exchange to include education, tourism, and local industries in the future.
A Harmony of Gastronomy, Art, and Crafts Unfolding Over Three Days
The festival will be filled with diverse programs featuring gastronomy, art, crafts, and performances.
• GAJA Connect Korea-France Cultural Forum (October 9): The forum opening the festival will bring together artistic director Lee Jung-ju, Choi Min, president of the National Cartoon & Caricature Association of Korea, Kim Yong-min, a serialized cartoonist for Kyunghyang Shinmun, Shin Yoon-ji, CEO of Urban Brook, and Choi Jin-gyeong, visiting professor at Chosun University, under the theme of 'Stories of Cultural Exchange Witnessed, Met, and Experienced.' They will candidly share experiences of challenges and trials faced in the field rather than success stories.
• Gathering of Young Chefs and Gastronomy Programs: Young chefs from both countries, including Léa Franche and Simon Varaine—chefs with a Korean mother and French father who are active in France—will participate to share cooking experiences and food culture.
In particular, on October 10, a special gastronomic dinner combining a gala dinner called 'Night of Terroir' inspired by French terroir and a performance by world music group Samindongrak will be held. Additionally, French cooking classes, K-Food classes (kimchi and baram-tteok), and French chef wine classes will be conducted.
• Meeting of Traditional Crafts and Culture: Through mother-of-pearl lacquerware crafts, traditional dyeing crafts, flower classes, and craft galleries, the regional cultural resources of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province will be expanded into international exchange content.
• Closing Performance and Apéro (October 11): The festival will conclude with a collaborative performance by Rickay Dance Group and Samindongrak, and the curtain will fall with an 'Apéro,' where audiences and artists communicate informally.
"Those Who Grow Today Create the Future"
Choi Jin-gyeong, co-CEO of Maison Ieum, stated, "This festival is not simply an event importing and presenting French culture in a unidirectional manner," and emphasized, "The process itself of young generations who are not afraid of failure, learn daily, and challenge one another to provide mutual inspiration constitutes true cultural exchange."
With the 'Korean Spring' that began in Nantes bearing fruit as the 'French Autumn' in Gwangju, there are high expectations that this festival, marking the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations, will leave a deep footprint as a sustainable venue for communication connecting the youth and communities of both nations.