Minsuk Cho's Archipelagic Void Serpentine Pavilion Opens in London

The 2024 Serpentine Pavilion, titled Archipelagic Void, designed by Korean architect Minsuk Cho, opened to the public in London's Kensington Gardens on June 7, 2024, and will run until October 27, 2024. The structure features a central void inspired by the traditional Korean courtyard house (mandang), surrounded by five distinct 'islands' serving different functions: a gallery with a sound installation by composer Jang Young-Gyu, an auditorium, a Library of Unread Books built through public donations, a Tea House, and a Play Tower. This marks Cho's first completed building in the UK, continuing the Serpentine Pavilion tradition started in 2000 by Zaha Hadid. Cho (born 1966, Seoul) studied at Columbia University, worked at OMA in Rotterdam, and founded Mass Studies in Seoul in 2003. His notable projects include the Korean Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai and the restoration of the French Embassy in Seoul. In 2014, he co-curated the Korean Pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, winning the Golden Lion for best national participation. The pavilion's concept was influenced by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist's book The Archipelago Conversations, emphasizing architecture that reveals the invisible rather than monumental display.