Participants | Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion

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 curatorial platform engaging in diverse artistic and architectural practices. The collective has organized significant exhibitions, including Assembly of Air (Factory2, 2021) and Homely Talk: Cho Byoung-soo × Choi Wook (DDP, 2021), which examine the evolving narratives of architecture in contemporary discourse.

Through the CAC Reading Room, the collective fosters critical dialogue by hosting forums, workshops, and research-driven projects in collaboration with leading Korean and international architects, designers, and artists. Continuing its investigation into the “life of architecture”, a central theme of Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion, CAC is committed to expanding its curatorial vision through interdisciplinary projects that challenge conventional perceptions of built environments.

Architects/Artists

Kim Hyunjong completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture at École Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA) in Paris, France, and founded ATELIER KHJ in Seoul in 2018. He explores cultural values across various fields, including urban culture, architecture, interior design, furniture, and art, breaking boundaries while engaging in continuous research and reinterpretation based on deep interest in materials and substances. His representative works include Present Perfect (2021) and Jumjumjumjumjum (2021), and he has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including Young Korean Artists 2023 (MMCA, 2023), Seoul Maru: Public Intervention (Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture, 2022), Stepping on the Ground, the Floor is Raised (Arumjigi, 2020), and Donuimun is Open (Donuimun Museum Village, 2018). He also continues his ongoing exhibition series, Building.

Heechan Park studied architecture in Seoul and London. He was a recipient of the Bartlett Travel Scholarship to study the works of Alvar Aalto in Finland in 2010, and was invited to exhibit his work at the Royal Academy in London in 2014. Heechan founded Studio Heech in 2018 and is carrying out projects in the fields of architecture, industrial design, fabrication, and digital interaction. He received KIA (Korean Institute of Architects)’s Building of the Year award for Sanyang Brewery in 2020, the Today’s Young Artist Award presented by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2022. Studio Heech was shortlisted for The Architectural Review’s Emerging Architects in 2023. His major works include Sanyang Brewery (2020), Seoul Urban Pinball Machine (2021), Four Three House (2023), and his publications include Aalto, Architecture & My Travels (2020).

Young Yena is a co-director of Plastique Fantastique, together with Marco Canevacci - an art duo that creates immersive spatial installations, challenging the notion of reality and pushing the boundaries of our senses. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Yonsei University and a master's degree in spatial design from Aalto University. The major projects include RINGdeLUXE (Nuit Blanche, 2023), TREES & TRACES (Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, 2023), #StayOut (Oerol Festival, 2022), DOUBLE HEART (Digital Art Festival Taipei, 2020), and Blurry Venice (Venice Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia, 2019). The installation works reexamine the relationship between space and storytelling, transforming familiar environments into stages for exploration.

Lee Dammy is an architect and designer, and the principal of the architectural firm Flora and Fauna. She studied architecture at Seoul National University and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Lee speculates on how the presence of matter animates the vitality of space and relationships through the interplay of plants, animals, objects, and buildings, while exploring the possibilities of architectural imagery. In doing so, she revisits the landscape of industrialized and institutionalized architecture through the lenses of new nature, gender, and ornamentation. Notable works include Noise Center (2023) and Pillar Suit (2021), and she has participated in exhibitions including Young Korean Artists 2023 (MMCA, 2023). Lee is a founding member of the collective Yeojiphap and co-author of Building Role Models: Architecture Spoken by Women. Currently, she teaches at Seoul National University.

Curatorial Team

Chung Dahyoung is a curator and editor whose work explores architecture, urbanism, and visual culture through research, exhibitions, and writing. From 2011 to 2024, she served as a curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea, organizing numerous exhibitions, including Figurative Journal: Guyon Chung Archive (2013), Young Korean Artists 2023 (2023), Papers and Concrete: Modern Architecture in Korea 1987-1997 (2017), and Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living (2024). She co-curated the Korean Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture, Spectres of the State Avant-Garde and received the Kim Jungchul Award from the Korean Institute of Architects (KIA) in 2024. She is currently the co-director of the CAC and an adjunct professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Konkuk University.

Kim Heejung is a co-director and curator at CAC. Her research focuses on the evolving roles of contemporary architects and the mediums and methodologies used to represent architecture. She served as the coordinator for the Young Architects Program at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea from 2015 to 2017 and was the deputy curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture. From 2019 to 2024, she was a curator at Photography SeMA, where she led curatorial initiatives related to its establishment. She is also the co-author of Pavilion, Filling the City with Emotion.

Jung Sungkyu is a curator whose work explores architecture, design and visual culture. He focuses on spatial planning related to architecture, crafts, and gardening. He served as the associate curator of Homely Talk: Cho Byoung Soo × Choi Wook (DDP, 2021) and conducted archival research for Olympic Effect: Korean Architecture and Design from 1980s to 1990s (MMCA, 2020). He also served as an assistant curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture. He is currently a co-director of CAC and a co-representative of TACT.

Kwak Seung-Chan is a researcher in architectural history, theory, and criticism, with a focus on alternative approaches on history-narrating of modern and contemporary Korean architecture. After receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from Korea University Department of Architecture with Lee Jeong Deok Architecture Award, he is continuing his research at Archistory KU of Korea University Graduate School. He translated several articles and books on art and architecture, and has worked in the Archive Team of Junglim Architecture (2023-2025) where he led the Hyundai Motor Company’s Architectural Heritage Archiving project.

Kim Giseok founded Spatial Semiology in 2019, establishing a practice centered on composing spaces through reconfigurable architectural elements. His work spans commercial interiors, scenography, furniture, and objects, embracing a diverse range of sculptural forms. Currently based in Antwerp, Belgium, Giseok is focusing on object-based work beginning with his solo exhibition Proceed (COUR, 2024) while simultaneously pursuing the INSIDE Master’s program at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, where he integrates academic research with spatial practice.

Kim Yuna worked as an in-house graphic designer at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, she established a graphic studio, yunakimc. Her work spans print media, exhibition graphics, and branding. She has also served as an experimental graphic design instructor at PaTI. Recently, she has worked on exhibition identity design for Hyundai Blue Prize Design 2022 (Hyundai Motorstudio Busan, 2023), Moments in Serpentine Pavilions 2000–2024 (Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture, 2024), and K-Royal Culture Festival (Korea Heritage Agency, 2023-2024).

Baek Yunsuk studied advertising, media, and visual anthropology before founding the web documentary channel The Docent. He has produced exhibition videos using various media, including archives, interviews, and documentaries, for institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea, Gwangju Biennale, and the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. He was the producer of the feature documentary More (2022) and has directed music videos for artists such as Lang Lee, Se So Neon, and Silica Gel, as well as commercials for brands. He is also active as a media artist.

Jung Jinho is a picture book artist, author, and illustrator based in Seoul. He studied architecture in university but now builds homes within the pages of picture books. He has received multiple Bologna Ragazzi Awards, including the OPERA PRIMA and Art & Architecture Design categories. His works have been published in South Korea, the United States, France, Belgium, China, and Taiwan. Some of his most notable books include LOOK UP, THE WALL, 3 Seconds, and The Nine-Tailed Fox.

Park Junghyun is an architectural critic and the editor-in-chief of an architectural journal, Labyrinths. He received his doctorate from the Department of Architecture, University of Seoul. He has produced several publications, including Modern Architecture in the Developmental State of Korea, and is the co-author of Korean Architecture in the Transitional Period, 4.3 Group, Experiment of Architopia, and Design Culture in the Middle Class Age. He translated Pai Hyungmin's Portfolio and Diagram and John Summerson's The Classical Language of Architecture into Korean, and has participated as a curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture, Spectres of the State Avant-Garde. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering at Yonsei University.

O Hezin is a graphic designer who runs OYE. She has worked on several commissioned projects while simultaneously engaging in initiative projects that explore the intersection of exhibitions and publications. She was invited to the Residence programme at the OTIS College of Art and Design (2018), and the experimental workshop using the Riso stencil printing technique Magical Riso (Van Eyck, 2016). Major exhibitions she has participated in include the Poster Show (Likely General, 2018), the Typojanchi (Culture Station Seoul 284, 2019), the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, Young Korean Artists 2023 (MMCA, 2023), POST/NO/BILLS #5 BHLNTTTX (Amsterdam Museum of Urban Life, 2024), among others. In 2023, she was selected as a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

Lee Jungwon is interested in art history and design, focusing on modern and contemporary Korean art. Her research explores visual arts that have emerged through cultural exchange. She conducted research on the Lee Kun-hee Collection in National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea and worked as an assistant curator at Art Sonje Center. Currently, she works as a curatorial assistant at MMCA, where she coordinates international exchange and archive exhibitions.