Korea (Republic of)

Conceived by Binna Choi with sculptural and performative interventions by Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro, Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest reframes the Korean pavilion into a temporary monument to “liberation space”, a term that refers to the period of political possibility and unresolved tensions following Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Honouring this period as an ongoing process – specific to Korea yet resonant across our ever-polarizing world – the monument generates multiple openings and pathways of unfolding and winding movement through which the act of “nation” building is continually rehearsed. Working with copper pipes, Goen Choi cuts into the pavilion’s structure, creating linear forms that register pressure, defence/offense and circulation. Hyeree Ro, through thousands of wax-coated organza circles and eight hand-crafted stations, shapes an environment of “bearing” where movement unfolds as a gentle procession sustained by care, mourning and renewal.

Extending this living monument, a Fellowship of artists, cultural practitioners and activists activate the exhibition from the perspective of the gwangjang, or public square, while a collaboration with the Japanese pavilion and a broader network open further lines of shared history and possibility.