The Korean Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is marking a significant milestone as it celebrates its 30th anniversary with an innovative exhibition titled "Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion." Commissioned by Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and curated by the Curating Architecture Collective (CAC), comprising Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, and Jung Sungkyu, this groundbreaking exhibition brings together architects and artists Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena, and Lee Dammy.
The exhibition takes a unique approach by making the pavilion itself the central subject of inquiry, critically examining both its physical structure and symbolic significance. Since its completion in 1995, the Korean Pavilion has served as a vital platform for cultural and national representation while continuously adapting to the evolving political and environmental contexts of the Venice Biennale. This milestone exhibition traces the pavilion's three-decade journey while offering speculative visions for its future role within the prestigious Giardini setting.
At the heart of the curatorial concept lies the Korean folk song "Little Toad, Little Toad" (Dukkeoba, Dukkeoba), traditionally sung during children's mud play activities. The curators have drawn inspiration from the song's verses, which reference themes of building, transformation, and crisis that resonate deeply with the pavilion's own historical trajectory. The motifs of the "old house" and "new house" found in the folk song serve as metaphors for the pavilion's past achievements and future possibilities, while the evocative image of a "house on fire" reflects contemporary challenges including climate change, sustainability concerns, and the evolving identity of national pavilions in the global art world.
The exhibition's conceptual framework adopts the toad as a mythical guide, a creature associated with metamorphosis and regeneration across various cultures. This symbolic choice connects the pavilion's architectural presence to the broader ecological and cultural landscape of the Giardini, emphasizing themes of transformation and renewal that are central to the exhibition's message.
The artistic program unfolds through a series of carefully crafted site-responsive works that engage with processes of unbuilding and reassembling. Each project is designed to illuminate overlooked values and meanings embedded within the pavilion while proposing speculative interventions that fundamentally reconsider its role and significance. Lee Dammy's installation "Overwriting, Overriding" introduces layered interventions that amplify previously unseen presences, including trees, objects, and ephemeral narratives, effectively fracturing conventional readings and interpretations of the pavilion space.
Young Yena's ambitious work "30 Million Years Under the Pavilion" takes a dramatically different approach by speculatively engaging with the geological and biological histories that predate the existence of the Giardini itself. This installation reframes the pavilion as a site of deep time, connecting it to forgotten life forms and ancient natural processes that extend far beyond human architectural endeavors. The work challenges visitors to consider the pavilion's place within vast temporal scales that dwarf its three-decade existence.
Heechan Park's contribution, "Time for Trees," focuses on highlighting the crucial interdependence between the pavilion and its surrounding landscape. Through careful visualization techniques, Park's work illustrates the complex interplay between built and natural environments, demonstrating how architecture and nature exist in constant dialogue. This installation emphasizes the pavilion's role not as an isolated structure but as part of a larger ecological system.
Kim Hyunjong's rooftop installation "New Voyage" transforms the pavilion's previously underutilized upper space into a contemplative observatory oriented toward the Adriatic Sea. This elevated intervention invites visitors to adopt new perspectives on movement, borders, and cultural exchange, symbolically connecting the Korean Pavilion to the broader Mediterranean context and international dialogue that defines the Venice Biennale experience.
Collectively, these four installations create a comprehensive interrogation of the pavilion's architectural, cultural, and ecological dimensions. The artists engage critically with the structure's three-decade legacy while simultaneously suggesting promising directions for its future development and significance. By positioning the pavilion as both subject and site of artistic investigation, the exhibition creates a reflexive dialogue that reflects on thirty years of Korean participation in the Venice Biennale.
The 19th Venice Architecture Biennale opened to the public on May 10, 2025, and will continue through November 23, 2025. This year's edition features an impressive array of 65 National Pavilions, with several countries participating for the first time, including Azerbaijan, Oman, Qatar, and Togo, marking a significant expansion of global representation at the prestigious international event.
Among the notable pavilions this year, Romania presents "HUMAN SCALE," an exhibition that examines architectural drawing as a sophisticated medium integrating conceptual, technological, artistic, historical, and emotional intelligence. Poland's contribution, "Lares and Penates," offers thoughtful reflections on architecture as a form of protection in an age marked by uncertainty and global challenges. Mexico's "Chinampa Veneta" directly addresses the pressing global ecological crisis by revisiting traditional chinampas as an innovative model for rethinking how humanity should inhabit and cultivate our shared world.
The Korean Pavilion's anniversary exhibition stands as a testament to three decades of meaningful cultural exchange and architectural dialogue within the international arena of the Venice Biennale. Through its innovative curatorial approach and site-specific installations, "Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion" not only celebrates the pavilion's significant history but also positions it at the forefront of contemporary discussions about sustainability, cultural representation, and the temporal nature of architectural legacy in an ever-changing global context.
