19. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura – Little Toad Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion

Il progetto Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion rappresenta la Corea alla Biennale di Architettura di Venezia.

Comunicato stampa

Korean Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion
May 10 – November 23, 2025
The Korean Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia marks its 30th anniversary with Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion, an exhibition that critically examines the architectural significance and sustainability of the Korean Pavilion. Commissioned by Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and curated by CAC (Curating Architecture Collective: Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, Jung Sungkyu), the exhibition features four architects and artists—Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena, and Lee Dammy—who reinterpret the pavilion through newly commissioned works.

Since its completion in 1995, the Korean Pavilion has existed as both a physical structure and a conceptual space for national representation at the Biennale Arte and the Biennale Architettura. This exhibition reexamines the meaning of the pavilion, reflecting on its past trajectory while exploring its future. Through a critical lens, Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion investigates the pavilion’s layered histories, its cultural and political contexts, and its role within the ever-evolving landscape of La Biennale di Venezia.

Curatorial Statement

Little toad, little toad / I will give you an old house / In return for a new house
(Dukkeoba, dukkeoba / Heon jip julge / Sae jip dao)
Little toad, little toad / Go fetch some water / I will build your house
(Dukkeoba, dukkeoba / Mul gireo oneora / Neohui jip jieo julge)
Little toad, little toad / Your house is on fire / Wend your way here with a pitchfork
(Dukkeoba, dukkeoba / Neohui jibe bullatda / Soegorang gajigo ttullettulle oneora)

The Korean Pavilion takes its architecture as its subject of exploration, commemorating the structure’s 30th anniversary. By revisiting the motivations behind its establishment and its transformation over time, the exhibition interrogates the idea of the pavilion as a house—both literal and metaphorical—that accommodates shifting perspectives on space, history, and memory.

Borrowing its title from the Korean folk song Little Toad, Little Toad (Dukkeoba, Dukkeoba), the exhibition embraces the song’s fabular and playful qualities as a narrative device. Traditionally sung during children’s mud play, the song evokes themes of construction and transformation. Its references to an “old house” and a “new house” parallel the Korean Pavilion’s past and future at this milestone moment. Meanwhile, the crisis of a “house on fire” invites reflection on the dilemmas faced by the pavilion—situating its history within a broader discourse on climate change, sustainability, and the evolving role of national pavilions at the International Architecture Exhibition.

The unseen narrator of the exhibition, the toad, is a mythical being symbolizing metamorphosis and regeneration—figures present across both Eastern and Western traditions. In this exhibition, the toad serves as a conceptual guide, awakening the ancient, shared heritage of the Giardini: the trees, the earth, the sky, and the sea. Through this lens, the exhibition reimagines the transformation and regeneration that lie ahead not only for the Korean Pavilion but for La Biennale di Venezia itself.

Exhibition Concept & Featured Works
Through site-responsive installations, the participating architects and artists engage in a process of unbuilding and reassembling the Korean Pavilion to reveal its overlooked values and meanings. Their works interrogate the physical and conceptual structures of the pavilion, offering speculative interventions that critically reflect on its legacy and possible futures.

Lee Dammy – Overwriting, Overriding: A layered intervention that amplifies the presence of unseen entities—trees, objects, and ephemeral narratives—that have coexisted with the pavilion, while fracturing conventional readings of its architecture to reveal its multivalent histories.
Young Yena – 30 million Years Under the Pavilion: A speculative exploration of the geological and biological histories buried beneath the Korean Pavilion. The installation invokes prehistoric narratives that far precede the Giardini’s foundation, reframing the pavilion not just as a national space, but as a site of deep time and forgotten life forms.
Heechan Park – Time for Trees: Through site-specific interventions, Time for Trees visualizes the interdependence between the Korean Pavilion and its surrounding trees in the Giardini. By capturing the interplay of built and natural environments, the work redefines architecture as a dynamic mediator with nature.
Kim Hyunjong – New Voyage: Installed on the often-overlooked rooftop of the Korean Pavilion, New Voyage transforms the space into an open observatory, inviting new perspectives. Oriented toward the Adriatic Sea with consideration of its relationship to other national pavilions in the Giardini, the work evokes the fluidity of borders and the possibilities of new journeys.

Exhibition Overview

Title: Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion
Commissioner: Arts Council Korea (ARKO)
Curators: CAC (Curating Architecture Collective: Chung Dahyoung, Kim Heejung, Jung Sungkyu)
Exhibitors/Participating Architects/Artists:
Kim Hyunjong (ATELIER KHJ)
Heechan Park (Studio Heech)
Young Yena (Plastique Fantastique)
Lee Dammy (Flora and Fauna)
Venue: Korean Pavilion, Giardini, Venice
Dates: May 10 – November 23, 2025

About the Curators
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 platform that bridges architecture and design, fostering academic and artistic exploration through significant exhibitions and research-driven projects.

Press Contact
For further inquiries, interviews, and high-resolution images, please contact:

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website: https://www.korean-pavilion.or.kr/
Instagram: @korean_pavilion
Hashtags: #KoreanPavilion2025 #CAC #LittleToadLittleToad #KimHyunJong
#HeeChanPark #LeeDammy #YoungYena

Notes to Editors:

The Korean Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, celebrating its landmark 30th anniversary this year, was established in 1995 and has since served as a key platform for architectural discourse.
Additional press materials and media assets are available upon request.