The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) has appointed Lee Janghwan, founder of Urban Operations, as the Artistic Director of the Korean Pavilion for the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of the 2027 Venice Biennale. Lee, who previously worked as an architect at OMA and contributed to the Qatar National Library, will lead an exhibition tentatively titled 《Disappearing Cities, Accumulating Architecture》, which explores Korea's phenomenon of 'hyper-shrinkage' amid global population decline and aging societies. The exhibition team includes architect and educator Bae Yoon Kyung as artist and co-curator, Lee Kyo Suk of MVRDV, and Jaehyup Ko of Mission Object.
This appointment matters because it positions the Korean Pavilion to address a pressing global issue—urban contraction and depopulation—through an architectural lens, potentially offering progressive models for adaptation that could resonate beyond Korea. The Venice Architecture Biennale, as the world's oldest and most influential international cultural event, provides a platform for these ideas to reach a global audience. The exhibition's focus on 'abandoned voids' and temporary urban materials may challenge growth-oriented paradigms and influence architectural discourse worldwide.