Vision & Legacy

The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale was established in 1995 as the national pavilion in the Giardini in Venice. This year, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion, which has demonstrated its significance to international art and architecture by presenting 14 Architecture Exhibitions and 15 Art Exhibitions. To commemorate the anniversary, Arts Council Korea will convene an architectural forum “VISION and LEGACY: 30 Years of the Korean Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia” to be held on May 9, 2025, at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice.

The birth of the Korean Pavilion, which the then mayor of Venice, Massimo Cacciari, christened a “small miracle”, prompts us to ask the question three decades later; ”What is the meaning of the Korean Pavilion today?” The Korean Pavilion was completed thanks to the sustained efforts of many contributors from both Korea and Italy, including the late Nam June Paik, a world-famous artist, and was co-designed by the late Korean architect Kim Seok Chul and Italian architect Franco Mancuso. The Korean Pavilion, set on the gentle hill of the Giardini, is a unique and panoramic point in the park that overlooks the glimmering sea of Venice. Such an architectural feature serves a public interest, as it has become a resting place for the citizens of Venice not only during the Biennale but on the most ordinary of days.

The architectural forum will offer the opportunity to explore the meaning and possibilities of the Korean Pavilion by charting its spaces, tracing its history and the stories behind its establishment, as well as envisaging its future development. We have convened a session of following key figures which promises lively and generative discussion: Franco Mancuso, co-architect of the Korean Pavilion who played a crucial role in its establishment; Marco Mulazzani, researcher of national pavilions at La Biennale di Venezia; Kimm Jong Soung, commissioner of the Korean Pavilion at the 8th Architecture Exhibition in 2002; Cho Minsuk, commissioner of the Korean Pavilion at the 14th Architecture Exhibition in 2014 and winner of the Golden Lion for Best National Participant; and CAC (Curating Architecutre Collective: Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, Jung Sungkyu), the co-curators of this year’s Korean Pavilion.

The forum will begin with a presentation by Chung Dahyoung (co-director, CAC), who will introduce the exhibition housed in the Korean Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. This exhibition focuses on the architecture of the Korean Pavilion itself, in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

Marco Mulazzani (Professor, University of Ferrara), the first presenter, will offer an interesting overview of the history of the Biennale, beginning with the national exhibition of Italy in 1887 and ending with the present day, where we see the rise of successive national pavilions (covering many different genres including art, architecture, film, theatre, music and dance) and noting the stature of this world-renowned international biennale.

Franco Mancuso (Former professor, IUAV University of Venice), co-architect of the Korean Pavilion, will introduce the history and evolution of the Korean Pavilion, retracing the aims and design decisions, with particular focus on the commitment to create a sustainable structure.

Cho Minsuk (Founder, Mass Studies), commissioner in 2014, will share his experience of exhibiting in the Korean Pavilion, which has 19 corners instead of the usual rectangular white cube, and explore its diverse spatial possibilities.

The subsequent roundtable session will be moderated by Choon Choi (Professor, Seoul National University), co-curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 16th Architecture Exhibition in 2018. Kimm Jong Soung, commissioner of the Korean Pavilion at the 8th Architecture Exhibition in 2002, in which Korea participated with a national pavilion for the second time, and Rinio Bruttomesso, professor of IUAV University of Venice, will also discuss the meaning and possibilities of the Korean Pavilion with our other speakers.