The Gwangju Biennale Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1995 to show the political importance of open civil and cultural forums. These forums should act as indicators for a stable democratic sphere in Gwangju, the city which is widely acknowledged in South Korea as the spiritual center in the country's struggle for democracy (1980 Gwangju Democracy Uprising). Since the inauguration of the Gwangju Biennale the Gwangju Biennale Foundation organizes and manages the Gwangju Biennale and the Gwangju Design Biennale to contribute to the promotion of art and design as well as to the development of the national Korean culture. International culture-exchange is also a key-focus of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and it hopes to support a mutual understanding and collaboration in the art and design communities from around the world through its activities.