Binna Choi, Goen Choi, Hyeree Ro — 2026 Korean Pavilion Team. Courtesy of Donghwan Kam
Last updated: May 2, 2026
한국어 안내는 영어 다음에 있습니다. / Korean follows English below.
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📎 Quick Links / 주요 링크
🌐 Korean Pavilion Official | 📸 Instagram
📄 ARKO — 한국관 예술감독 선정 결과 (2025.04) | 📄 e-flux — Team and Vision (2025.10)
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The Korean Pavilion presents "Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest," curated by Binna Choi with artists Goen Choi (Seoul) and Hyeree Ro (NY). Commissioned by Arts Council Korea (ARKO), this exhibition proposes a 21st-century space of liberation that reframes social unrest as inclusive, transformative energy.
The exhibition explores "fortress" and "nest" as contrasting metaphors. Fortress represents defensive structures—war, division, censorship—while nest signifies escape and communal recovery. The artists will transform the Korean Pavilion's architecture into new sensual, intellectual, and social fields.
The Korean and Japanese Pavilions are collaborating for the first time — a first among Asian national pavilions in Venice Biennale history. Goen Choi's installation Meridian extends from the Cylinder Hall of the Korean Pavilion into the interior exhibition space of the adjacent Japan Pavilion, creating a cross-pavilion spatial dialogue.
Joint events include a co-hosted breakfast at Art Basel Hong Kong (March 24) and a joint opening dinner in Venice (May 6).
The Korean Pavilion's official inauguration takes place on Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 16:00, followed at 16:30 by a joint celebration with the Japan Pavilion on site. In the evening, ARKO and the Japan Foundation co-host a joint reception at Compagnia della Vela on Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore (19:00–21:00 buffet, followed by cocktails and DJ Shy Shonnie until 23:30). Dress code: festive attire.
Public access via Vaporetto Line 2 from S. Marco–S. Zaccaria "B" to S. Giorgio (one stop). Biennale accreditation is required for pavilion entry.
On 6 May 2026, the Korean Pavilion held its press openings exactly as planned: 11:00 domestic Korean media, 13:00 international press, 16:00 official opening, 16:30 joint Korea–Japan Pavilion program on site, and the evening reception (19:00–21:00) at Compagnia della Vela on Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore. Korean-press coverage by Heraldcorp, Newsis, and Handmaker confirmed the schedule was carried out in full. Goen Choi's installation Meridian — industrial red copper pipes routed from the Korean Pavilion's Cylinder Hall into the interior of the Japan Pavilion — was reported as the first direct spatial linkage between two Asian national pavilions in Giardini history.
Hyeree Ro's Bearing, comprising approximately 4,000 wax-coated organza circles together with wood and clay structural elements, is organised into eight stations: mourning, remembering, observing, living, waiting, planning, sharing, and repairing. Han Kang's sculpture The Funeral is presented within the mourning station.