SPACE April 2026 (No. 701)
Exhibition view of ‘Jeju-che: The Architecture of Kim Suk Yoon’. The Chinese charaters for Jeju-che (濟州體) in the exhibition title, is composed of characters drawn from the Thousand Characters calligrapy by Kim Gwangchu.
Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art
Feb. 6. ~ Mar. 29, 2026
The exhibition ‘Jeju-che: The Architecture of Kim Suk Yoon’ focuses on the theme of Jeju-che▼1 and presents the work of Kim Seokyoon (1945 ‒, Principal, Architect Kim’s Atelier, covered in SPACE No. 687), a representative architect of Jeju island. As Kim’s architectural trajectory developed alongside the evolution of modern architecture in Jeju, the exhibition is significant in that it surveys not only the architect’s individual works but also the broader trajectory of architecture on the island. Beginning with the Comprehensive Tourism Development Plan of Jeju Island in the 1970s and continuing to the present, Jeju’s architecture has evolved its own distinctive character amid a rapid rate of change that shifted development from government-led initiatives to private-sector projects. One important strand within this history is Kim’s works. The Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art (2006), where the exhibition takes place, is a building designed by Kim himself. The museum embodies his architectural world, which explores both modernity and the logic of regional context and landscape. Walking along the entrance that sits low in its fragmented forms – designed out of respect for the nearby Gotjawal Forest – visitors encounter the rhythm of light and shadow created by the cut basalt façade.
One of the key components of the exhibition is a series of photographic works in which architectural photographers – Kim Jaekyeong, Kim Yongsoon, Kim Jaeyoun, Kim Jaehyun, Kim Changmook, Park Youngchae, Yeo Inwoo, Yoon Donggyu, Yoon Joonhwan, Lee Namsun, Lee Jaesung, Lee Hanul, Chin Hyosook, Choi Jinbo – revisit and capture Kim’s architecture. These photographs document buildings that can still be encountered across Jeju today, including the Jeju Tamra Library (1989) and the Jeju Halla Library (2008), as well as the Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art. By portraying the natural, lived-in s...
