Jeju Island -- Rows of plastic waste found in the ocean hang from the ceiling of the Jeju Museum of Art as though they are chandeliers. Korean artist Kim Soon-im collected the plastic pieces while walking on Jeju beaches to make up the installation titled "Sea_Scape_Jeju."

The fourth edition of Jeju Biennale “The Drift of Apagi: The Way of Water, Wind and Stars” kicked off Nov. 26, under the theme of the “drift” to explore the diverse aspects of South Korea's southern island.

“The concept of ‘drift’ fits with the history of the island in terms of the geopolitical and cultural aspects,” Jeju Biennale Artistic director Lee Jong-hoo told The Korea Herald on Nov. 29. “Under the influence of the Kuroshio current, Jeju Island was influenced by the culture of the southern region, from Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. On the other hand, northern culture from the mainland came down to the island.”

Kuroshio current is a strong, warm oceanic current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin.

Some 87 artists and artist collectives from 14 countries, including nine artists based on Jeju Island, are taking part in this year's biennale.

A quote from French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre is displayed at the museum to encompass the works of the biennale: “Man is a contingent being. We are thrown into the world without an inherent purpose, and it is up to us to find our own."

Some artists expanded the theme of the “drift” to political and historical issues. Visual artist Tao Ya Lun presented the digital media work “Drifter” which touches on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Using live video installations, the artist visits Max’s hometown in Lviv, Ukraine, carrying digital devices and guiding him to his homeland through a virtual avatar.

Max is one of the many Ukraine students who sought asylum or pursued studies abroad after the Russian-Ukraine war began. Living abroad, Max wears a VR 3D headset and – in the virtual space – shares meals with his family.

Korean artist Yang Kura is showing an installation, map and video work that revolves around the Jeju April 3 Uprising and Massacre, which the artist considers the most tragic event in Jeju Island's modern history. Yang's works are based on the incident in which the bodies of massacred victims were carried by the ocean currents to be eventually discovered on the northern coast of Japan's Tsushima Island, an island that lies between the Korea Strait and Tsushima Strait.

The video work shows how the residents of Tsushima at the time – based on interviews of residents 90 years old and older -- collected and buried the bodies while many of the island's residents were unaware of this event. A memorial service for the victims is still held on Tsushima Island, according to the video.

Boo Ji-hyun is s Jeju-based artist whose work often embodies the sensory phenomena of human perception within a space. Her work “Ultimate Space” is shown at Jeju Art Platform, one of the biennale venues across Jeju Island. Using LEDs, water vapor and fishing lights, the artist has created an immersive experience at the auditorium.

Walking through the foggy space, one's sense of space becomes fuddled as laser beams, fog and a damp smell repeatedly emerge and then disappear. Some might describe the experience as drifting in the sea.

The 83-day Jeju Biennale ends on Feb. 16.