Sungkyunkwan University College of Arts and University of Brasília Conclude 

International Collaborative Creative Residency

The College of Arts at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), led by Dean Hyuk Byun, has successfully concluded an international collaborative creative residency with the University of Brasília (UnB), one of Brazil’s leading public universities. Held at UnB from August 1 to 15, the two-week residency brought together students and faculty from the two universities for an intensive program of interdisciplinary artistic collaboration and creative production.

Supported by SKKU’s Anchor Project, the initiative was first conceived in 2023 by Professor Yong-Ah Yoon of the Department of Performing Arts at SKKU and Professor Nitza Tenenblat of the Department of Theatre at the University of Brasília. Their collaboration continued in 2024, when a joint project between the two universities was selected as an outstanding project under SKKU’s LINC initiative.

During that project, Professor Yoon, former Dean of the College of Arts Jisook Jeong, and Professor Junhee Lee of the Department of Film, Television and Multimedia visited the University of Brasília, where the two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The agreement laid the foundation for continued academic and artistic exchange, ultimately leading to the second international collaborative creative project in 2026.

This year’s residency brought together 15 students from four departments at SKKU—the Department of Performing Arts, Department of Film, Television and Multimedia, Department of Fashion Design, and Department of Fine Arts. Professor Kyungsung Lee of the Department of Performing Arts also joined the program as a mentor for the first time, leading creative workshops and supporting the students throughout the production process.

Over the course of 15 days, SKKU students worked closely with young Brazilian artists in an intensive, collaborative environment. Their work resulted in five short films, each developed through cross-cultural exchange and hands-on creative practice. The completed films are scheduled to be screened on UnB TV, the university’s public broadcasting channel, and will also be submitted to a range of international film festivals.