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Tatler Asia
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
5 Asian pavilions telling stories of resilience and culture at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025
Hong Kong Pavilion Above 'Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive' (Photo: courtesy of Oliver Yin Law) Where: The Arsenale, Venice What: The Hong Kong Pavilion presents Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive , curated by Ar Fai Au, the founder of O Studio Architects; Dr Ying Zhou, an urban theorist; and Ar Sing Yeung Sunnie Lau, the founder of SOS Architecture Urban Design Studio. The team spotlights the sunset industry of traditional bamboo scaffolding and the oft-overlooked side of the cityscape, beyond its gleaming, swanky skyscrapers. The pavilion showcases the innovative measures that Hong Kong architects have to take to make the best use of space in Hong Kong's notoriously cramped urban landscape. Korean Pavilion Above 'Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion' (Photo: courtesy of Korean Pavilion) Where: The Giardini, Venice What: South Korea is commemorating its pavilion's 30th anniversary this year at the Venice Biennale. The space was designed by Italian architect Franco Mancuso and Korean architect Kim Seok-chul, who originally built the pavilion within a cluster of trees to emphasise its connection with nature. Now, it has been reimagined by artists Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena and Lee Dammy, who have put up site-responsive installations in an exhibition titled the Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion . For instance, Kim's New Voyage , which is installed on the rooftop of the pavilion, turns the space of leisure into an open observatory oriented toward the Adriatic Sea. This installation suggests a new perspective on the use of the pavilion's space and the metaphor for a new adventure. Taiwan Pavilion Above 'Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity' (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio) Where: Palazzo delle Prigioni What: Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity reflects on the conditions of uncertainty, such as unpredictable natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and the threats of globalisation, which make up the sociopolitical fabric of Taiwan. In the showcase, the artists and the architects highlight sustainable and efficient designs inspired by the region's resilient building culture. For instance, the installation Border Elasticity focuses on the use of futuristic materials such as transparent acrylic sticks for constructing the Tainan Railway Underground. The structure also resembles incense sticks to serve as a metaphor for how people need to navigate crowded urban spaces. Uzbekistan Pavilion Above 'A Matter of Radiance' (Photo: courtesy of Gerda Studio and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation) Where: The Arsenale, Venice What: Curated by Ekaterina Golovatyuk and Giacomo Cantoni of Grace studio, A Matter of Radiance takes inspiration from the modernist scientific structure, The Sun Institute of Material Science, originally called the Sun Heliocomplex, built in 1987 near Tashkent, which was one of the last major scientific projects of the USSR. The pavilion explores the scientific and cultural relevance of Uzbekistan's recent modernist legacy and its potential.
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Embrace your surroundings: Korean Pavilion opens anew at Venice Biennale
The Korean Pavilion marks its 30th anniversary as the last permanent national pavilion at the Giardini VENICE, Italy -- Sometimes it seems easier to just demolish an old structure and build a new one. Such an approach to urban development is prevalent in some countries -- particularly in South Korea, where people expect that the reconstruction of apartment buildings will raise their property values. But this attitude often overlooks the value of the legacy a space may have accumulated over decades and fails to respect the environment around the space. This was the idea of the Curating Architecture Collective, the group who curated the ongoing exhibition of the Korean Pavilion at the Giardini of the Venice Biennale. The pavilion, built in 1995, is the last permanent pavilion built at the site. The Curating Architecture Collective consists of Kim Hee-jung, Jung Sung-kyu and lead curator Chung Da-hyoung. 'The pavilion faced some challenges when it was built, such as preserving the trees around the space, even their roots,' said curator Chung, walking along the path around the national pavilion surrounded by trees reminiscent of a dense forest. The sound of crickets is projected through the space -- the idea of artist and architect Young Ye-na. 'The balcony tree was here in the corner of the space, designated for preservation during the design of the Korean Pavilion. The archival records of the pavilion show that the architects had to come up with a design to embrace the tree, which has since died and been removed," the curator said. The current shape of the Korean Pavilion, featuring an irregular, wave-like wall, shows how it embraces nature, Chung continued, in a design by Italian architect Franco Mancuso and Korean architect Kim Seok-chul. To preserve the terrain and the tree roots, following the city's guidelines, the pavilion was built on micropiles slightly elevated above the ground. Artist Young Ye-na worked on the space underneath the pavilion, summoning imaginary ancient guardians. The fictional creatures, which represent the primordial history of the Korean Pavilion, are installed beneath the pavilion's piloti-supported space in a century-old structure that was once used as a restroom before it became part of the pavilion. Inside the pavilion echoes the traditional Korean children's song 'Little Toad, Little Toad,' which children sing when they make little houses from earth. The lyrics go: 'Little toad, little toad, give me your old home, I will give you a new one … your house is burning down, bring some buckets here, so I can build your home.' Inspired by the song, the exhibition was titled 'Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion." 'One day the song came to mind, and I thought it had a narrative similar to what we wanted to deliver at the exhibition -- architects who need to bring solutions to the table when the world faces challenges such as the climate crisis,' Chung said, adding that the theme of the exhibition aligns with the pavilion's architectural approach, which emphasizes respect for nature. Architect Park Hee-chan made the most of the environment surrounding the pavilion for a group of works titled 'Time for Trees,' which explores the relationship between the pavilion and its trees. Facing the glass wall of the pavilion, the work 'Shadow Caster' is a fabric screen that captures the trees' shadows. 'I often heard that the Korean Pavilion is a difficult space to stage exhibitions in compared to other national pavilions that are more like white cubes. Compared to others, the Korean Pavilion has inevitably experienced some challenges when it comes to curating works as it is affected by its surrounding environment such as the light that comes through the glass wall and the shape of the space,' Park said. On the rooftop is architect Kim Hyun-jong's 'New Voyage,' an installation that resembles a ship and its sails. Overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the rooftop had been left unused for exhibitions due to its structural challenges. 'The pavilion is located at the highest elevation in the Giardini, overlooking the sea and trees. I wanted to explore the space, which has been left unused,' the architect said. "I came up with the ship and sails as Venice and Korea have historically relied on ships as important means of exchange with other countries.' A cat named Mucca that has lived around the pavilion since 2018 is part of the embroidery work 'Overwriting, Overriding' by architect Lee Dammy. It summons the hidden entities around the pavilion with stories surrounding the locust tree, which stands as a guardian of the Korean Pavilion, and Mucca, a cat who comes into the pavilion to rest on the woven embroidered work. The Venice Biennale 2025 returned with its architecture exhibition on Thursday under the overarching theme of 'Intelligence. Natural. Artificial. Collective,' curated by architect and engineer Carlo Ratii, and bringing together more than 750 architects, artists and engineers. The biennale runs through Nov. 23.
Korea Herald
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Little toad, little toad,' Venice Biennale's Korean Pavilion to explore rebirth
2025 marks 30th anniversary of Korean Pavilion As the Korean Pavilion marks its 30th anniversary this year since its construction in the Giardini, the waterfront park that serves as the main venue of the Venice Biennale, curators, artists and architects are set to gather at the site to reflect on the past and future of the national pavilion and beyond, as Venice Biennale faces many changes. The most prestigious international art and architecture biennale takes place every year, rotating between art and architecture. Venice Biennale 2025 will return for the architecture exhibition from May to November with the overarching concept of 'Intelligence. Natural. Artificial. Collective,' with its main architecture exhibition curated by architect and engineer Carlo Ratii. The Korean Pavilion will tackle the history of the national pavilion this year, using a metaphor from a traditional Korean children's song 'Little Toad, Little Toad,' commonly sung by kids as they make soil houses. 'The song's lyrics talk about a cycle of how a house is regenerated with the words of 'old house and new house.' We related the song to the concept of the past and future of the Korean Pavilion and Venice Biennale. The biennale itself is also going through many changes, such as climate crisis,' said Chung Da-young one of the directors of the Korean Pavilion. Climate change is an existential threat to Venice, due to the rising sea level's effect on the island city. The exhibition at the Korean Pavilion will be curated by the Curating Architecture Collective that consists of Chung, Kim Hee-jung and Jung Sung-kyu. Four architects and artists will show works at the national pavilion: Kim Hyun-jong of Alelier KHJ, Park Hee-chan of Studio Heech, Yang Ye-na of Plastique Fantastique and Lee Da-mi of Flora and Fauna. The Korean Pavilion's presentation will be based on thorough research of the 30-year-old national pavilion located in the corner of the Giardini. The research is being conducting thoroughly on the condition of not disturbing existing trees and topography. The collective curators will tackle how the national pavilion reflects respect to nature in an architectural approach. The glass-and-steel structure of the Korean Pavilion was designed in a collaboration of Korean architect Kim Seok-chul and Venice's own Franco Mancuso.
