The Korean Pavilion, The 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion

▣ Overview

• Title : The Korean Pavilion, The 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion
• Artist : Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena, Lee Dammy
• Artistic Directors : CAC(Curating Architecture Collective: Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, Jung Sungkyu)
• Period : 2026.2.6.(Fri) - 4.5.(Sun)
• Opening Hours : 11:00 AM—7:00 PM / Closed on Mondays, Lunar New Year’s Day
• Venue : ARKO Art Center Gallery 1, 2
• Admission : Free
• Partner : IKEA Korea
• Host : Arts Council Korea

▣ Introduction

Little toad, little toad / I will give you an old house /In return for a new house

Little toad, little toad / Go fetch some water / I will build your house

Little toad, little toad / Your house is on fire / Wend your way here with a pitchfork

The Korean Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia marks the thirtieth anniversary of the pavilion’s construction, revisiting its history through the lens of “home.” Rather than treating the pavilion as a neutral exhibition venue, this exhibition considers it an organic entity layered with multiple meanings, tracing its origins while exploring possible futures. Through research and visual materials, the exhibition reconsiders the pavilion as a living structure that continues to evolve.

The traditional Korean children’s song “Little Toad, Little Toad (Dukkeoba, Dukkeoba)” serves as the exhibition’s metaphorical framework. Sung while shaping the earth in play, it recalls the primordial form of the grotto, an archetype predating architectural typologies. The toad, a hidden narrator throughout the exhibition, symbolizes change and regeneration, recalling the shared heritage of the Giardini — its trees, soil, sky, and sea. The lyrics’ contrast between “old house” and “new house” evokes the temporal threshold of the pavilion at its thirtieth year, while the fire threatening the house calls attention to crisis — prompting reflection on the Venice Biennale itself within global urgencies such as climate change. To illuminate the history and position of the Korean Pavilion is, therefore, to examine the cultural and political dimensions of the national pavilion system — and to imagine its future forms of renewal.

The homecoming exhibition at ARKO Art Center in Seoul is newly composed for a different context from Venice. The gallery 1 present archival materials and critical reinterpretations of the pavilion’s architectural and curatorial histories, functioning simultaneously as a space for discussion and public programs. The gallery 2 examines how participating artists interpreted the conditions of the pavilion and expanded them beyond national frameworks. Site-specific installations conceived in Venice are reconfigured to reveal their conceptual processes and strategies, inviting audiences to experience the exhibition through multiple interpretive pathways.

▣ Exhibition view

Gallery 1

Gallery 2

▣ Artistic Directors Introduction

Curating Architecture Collective (CAC) is a curatorial group dedicated to exploring the intersections of architecture, text, objects, and space. Founded by Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, and Jung Sungkyu, CAC operates as a collaborative curatorial platform engaging in diverse artistic and architectural practices. The collective has organized significant exhibitions, including Assembly of Air (Factory2, 2021) and Homely Talk: Cho Byoung-soo × Choi Wook (DDP, 2021), which examine the evolving narratives of architecture in contemporary discourse.

Through the CAC Reading Room, the collective fosters critical dialogue by hosting forums, workshops, and research-driven projects in collaboration with leading Korean and international architects, designers, and artists. Continuing its investigation into the “life of architecture,” a central theme of Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion, CAC is committed to expanding its curatorial vision through interdisciplinary projects that challenge conventional perceptions of built environments.

▣ Artist Biographies

Kim Hyunjong completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture at École Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA) in Paris, France, and founded ATELIER KHJ in Seoul in 2018. He explores cultural values across various fields, including urban culture, architecture, interior design, furniture, and art, breaking boundaries while engaging in continuous research and reinterpretation based on deep interest in materials and substances.

Heechan Park studied architecture in Seoul and London. He was a recipient of the Bartlett Travel Scholarship to study the works of Alvar Aalto in Finland in 2010, and was invited to exhibit his work at the Royal Academy in London in 2014. Park founded Studio Heech in 2018 and is carrying out projects in the fields of architecture, industrial design, fabrication, and digital interaction.

Young Yena is a co-director of Plastique Fantastique, together with Marco Canevacci — an art duo that creates immersive spatial installations, challenging the notion of reality and pushing the boundaries of our senses. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Yonsei University and a master's degree in spatial design from Aalto University.

Lee Dammy is an architect and designer, and the principal of the architectural firm Flora and Fauna. She studied architecture at Seoul National University and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Lee speculates on how the presence of matter animates the vitality of space and relationships through the interplay of plants, animals, objects, and buildings, while exploring the possibilities of architectural imagery.