SPACE October 2026 (No. 707)
The Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul (Director, Davide Scalmani), together with Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte (President, Giuliana Setari Carusi, Director, Paolo Naldini), will this year present ‘Third Paradise Seoul 2026’, following last year’s ‘Third Paradise DMZ’. The Third Paradise project series is part of ‘Demopractic Opera’, a public-art project carried out in more than 50 cities worldwide and grounded in the concepts of ‘Demopraxy’ and ‘Preventive Peace’, developed by Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of Italy’s leading contemporary artists.
Views of the ‘Third Paradise DMZ’ forum held at the Camp Greaves Gymnasium in 2025
The Third Paradise is a concept that originated in Pistoletto’s manifesto of the same name, written in 2003. It refers to the fusion of the First Paradise, in which humanity was fully integrated with nature, and the Second Paradise, the artificial paradise created by humankind in the process of reaching the present. In other words, the Third Paradise represents a third stage of humanity, realised through a balanced connection between the artificial and the natural, and is envisioned as an essential pathway for humanity’s survival. Pisoletto argues that realizing this condition requires a redefinition of the principles that guide collective life, as well as of ethical action. This vision has taken concrete and practical form through the activities and global network of Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte. The principal symbol of the Third Paradise, widely used throughout these activities, consists of three consecutive circles and is a reinterpretation of the infinity symbol. The two outer circles represent all forms of diversity and contradiction, including nature and the artificial, while the central circle becomes a space of gestation formed through the interweaving of the two opposing circles, a place where a new humanity can emerge.
The artwork Third Paradise DMZ – Memories to Rebuild the Future, installed inside a former power magazine at Camp Greaves
While similar initiatives in other countries have generally retained the title Demopractic Opera, the first forum held in Korea was given the distinctive name ‘Third Paradise DMZ’. The title reflects the project’s focus on the unique site of the Demilitarised Zone and Korea’s particular circumstances, including the division of the Korean Peninsula. It draws attention to the DMZ as a space that, while carrying the historical weight of a division created by war, has simultaneously become a site for reflection and dialogue, coexistence and diversity. In this sense, the space itself serves as a metaphor for the Third Paradise, a place that moves beyond exclusionary separation and proposes a sustainable future. Accordingly, the 2025 forum brought together 40 activists, researchers, and artists from 28 organisations and was organised around the overarching themes of inclusion and ecology, exploring five topics: ‘loneliness’, ‘boundaries’, ‘care’, ‘resilience’, and ‘praxis’, which sought to bring the preceding four themes into reality. Alongside the forum, the participatory art performance, Third Paradise DMZ–Memories to Rebuild the Future was installed inside a former power magazine at Camp Greaves, one of the oldest former U.S. military bases in the border region. A 36-metre-long rope made of hemp cloth was arranged into three interlocking circles representing the Third Paradise symbol. Forum participants wrote ideas, concepts, possibilities, and messages of hope on traditional hanji paper and tied them onto the installation. The work embodied ‘Preventive Peace’ through action and practice. The network continued after the forum and exhibition concluded. Participants shared updates through interviews and newsletters, while small gatherings were organised to sustain the network and provide opportunities for further exchange.
(left top) Installation performance of the artwork, (left bottom) The curators explaining ‘Third Paradise DMZ’—from left to right, Valentina Buzzi (Co-Curator), Jung Soik (Co-Curator), Michela Linda Magrì (Former Director, Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul), Francesco Saverio Teruzzi (Head of the Third Paradise Office, Cittadellarte), Armona Olivero Pistoletto (Coordinator of the Food Office, Cittadellarte), Paolo Naldini (Director, Cittadellarte) , (right) The artwork Third Paradise DMZ – Memories to Rebuild the Future, installed inside a former power magazine at Camp Greaves
The project, which was held in the DMZ as a space for dialogue and coexistence, continues this year in Seoul, a centre of civic dynamism and artistic creativity. ‘Third Paradise Seoul 2026’ moves beyond initiating fundamental discussion and seeks to transform discourse into concrete artistic practice. Beginning with a forum and workshop on Oct. 15 at the Seoul Arts Education Center Yongsan in collaboration with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the project will bring together 14 domestic and international civil society organisations and activists, along with 14 teams of artists. Each activist or organisation will work collaboratively with one artist or team. By connecting civil society work with artistic practice and proposing art projects as practical responses to needs identified in the field, the project aims to position art as a form of social practice capable of contributing to social change. Participating organisations work across a wide range of topics, including the environment, the climate crisis, technology, queer issues, children, and people with mobility challenges. Within the themes established in 2025, they will further investigate their own specific areas. The final works are scheduled to be exhibited at the end of the year. The exhibition will also include an archive of last year’s activities, allowing visitors to trace the project’s development process from discussion to action.
photographed by Yun Suyeon
materials provided by Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Seoul
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