WONJU, South Korea — Nestled high in the mountains of Gangwon Province, the renowned Museum SAN has unveiled a striking new installation: Ground, an immersive, subterranean art space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and British sculptor Antony Gormley.
Accessible through a modest gray entry on a manicured field, Ground descends into an underground concrete dome reminiscent of ancient sacred architecture. At its heart lies a contemplative environment where seven of Gormley’s signature “Blockworks” — abstract steel sculptures representing the human form — are placed throughout the circular chamber. The collaboration marks the first between two masters in their fields, blending Ando’s architectural precision with Gormley’s introspective sculptural language.
“This place, and these still, silent sculptures, are really waiting for the visitors — for their presence, their thoughts, and their movement,” Gormley said at a press preview Thursday, a day before the installation opened to the public. “It may be wishful to imagine they’ll still be here in 100 or 200 years, but thinking about how this space will evolve over time is thrilling.”
The 25-meter-wide dome channels Ando’s signature minimalism, with careful attention to acoustics and light. Even the softest footsteps reverberate with echo, while a circular oculus in the ceiling casts a dramatic shaft of light across the space — adding a celestial dimension to the earthly chamber.
Gormley, 72, is best known for large-scale public works like Angel of the North in the UK and Field for the British Isles, which won the Turner Prize in 1994. His career has long explored the relationship between body, space, and consciousness — often casting his own body to investigate the self as sculpture. A spiritual seeker earlier in life, he once considered becoming a monk, traveling through India and Sri Lanka before turning fully to art.
“I’ve always wanted to bring art into real-life settings — not just galleries,” he said. “The institution and the market have placed art in a controlled context, but that’s not its natural state. Art should live alongside us, in everyday life.”
This philosophy aligns with Museum SAN’s mission. Opened in 2013 and commissioned by the Hansol Cultural Foundation, the museum was designed by Ando to be a sanctuary for creativity and reflection. Its location atop a verdant mountain amplifies its mission of blending nature, art, and human presence.
Beyond Ground, the museum is also hosting a major solo retrospective of Gormley’s works through November 30. Titled Drawing on Space, the exhibition spans four decades of the artist’s career and features some of his most iconic works.
Highlights include:
Liminal Field (2015), a ghostly arrangement of steel rings forming human silhouettes;
Body and Soul (1990), prints created using parts of Gormley’s body;
Run (2021), a visceral piece painted in the artist’s own blood;
and the monumental Orbit Field II (2024), a labyrinth of oversized aluminum hoops that visitors are invited to walk through, becoming part of the piece itself.
“Unlike paintings, which reflect the world, sculptures demand space — they transform it,” Gormley noted. “In today’s digital age, where our tools often dominate us, we need to return to the body. Sculpture is a way to reclaim that connection.”
Museum SAN is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is 22,000 won (approximately $16 USD).
Sayart / Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com
