Architecture featuring divided Korea to be displayed at Venice Biennale

"I will collect and integrate the fragments of unique architectural features coming from the divide of the Korea Peninsula," said Cho Min-seok, CEO of Mass Studies and commissioner of Korean booth at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition that will be held in Venice, Italy from June 7 through November 23.

At a press conference Monday morning at the Arko Art Center in northern Seoul, Cho said, "In the process of planning for joint exhibition with North Korea, we contacted the North several times through various channels to seek its intention for participation, but failed."

The title for Korean corner at the Venice Biennale 2014 is "Crow’s Eye View: The Korean Peninsula." Crow’s Eye View, or Ogamdo, is Yi Sang, poet of modern Korean literature. The poem was published in series at a newspaper in 1934 and spurred disputes due to complicated content and style. Cho said, "As is with Yi Sang`s poem, it is difficult to understand the architecture of a divided Korean Peninsula in a unitary viewpoint."

Korean corner will make exhibitions on four subtitles of "Rebuilding Lives," "Monumental State," "Borders" and "Utopian Travel." They include works of 29 teams composed of domestic and foreign architects, literary authors, painters, photographers, film directors, curators, designers and video artists. Fifteen foreign teams will also be joining by Italian photographer Alessandro Belgiojoso, Spanish city environment specialist Marc Brossa and Japanese architect photographer Osamu Murai.

This year`s exhibition is entitled "Fundamentals." It is directed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who requested the subject of the 65 country exhibitions to be "Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014." The main exhibition will avoid fragmented competition by individual architects but have a consistent topic of "elements of architect" to analyze every elements such as doors, stairs and ceilings. Cho will hold a symposium in early September with Japanese corner commissioner Kayoko Ota under the topic of roofs.