Exhibition view of Lee Seunghyun's solo exhibition at Artist Residency TEMI in Daejeon in 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Artist Residency TEMI.
Last February, the relocation of the Artist Residency TEMI (or center), a leading artist residency program in the country, was decided. However, due to the lack of specific plans for the center’s relocation by Daejeon City, its operation was still being determined. Fortunately, the operating budget for the center has been allocated for 2024, ensuring its continued operation.
Due to safety concerns such as building cracks, the center has been definitively determined to demolish the current building and construct a new one. However, concerns arose within the art community as there were no specific plans for constructing the second Literature Museum on the current center site, raising fears that the residency program might disappear. The art community has emphasized the importance of the center’s continuity for supporting artists and attracting young talents.
Fortunately, the center is scheduled to operate normally next year. As part of the 2024 budget proposal submitted by Daejeon City to the city council, approximately 600 million KRW has been allocated for the operation of the center. The exact budget amount will be confirmed after deliberations by the Daejeon City Council later this month. The city plans to operate the center until the second half of next year and commence the construction of a new building from 2026 onwards.
Opened in 2014, Artist Residency TEMI utilizes the TEMI Library, a formerly unused space, and has been supported by Daejeon City for a decade through the Daejeon Culture and Arts Foundation. The visual arts residency was established to revitalize the downtown area through culture and art. The residency program at the center has involved 80 artists to date, including 23 local and 38 non-local artists and 19 international artists. Artists who participated in the center’s residency program, such as Dew Kim, Im Suniy, Youngjoo Cho, Juree Kim, and Hye Joo Jun, actively engaged in artistic endeavors.
