After the Winter of Martial Law, the Korean Pavilion Opens as a "Liberation Space" at the Venice Biennale

No Hyeri and Choi Goeun Reimagine the Korean Pavilion as Both Fortress and Nest

Fellows Include Han Kang, Lee Lang, and Others

The Korean Pavilion at Venice’s Giardini has reopened not simply as an exhibition hall, but as a “body” and “shared refuge.” This year, the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale draws within a single space the history following liberation, the martial law and public squares of the winter of 2024, and the memories of Jeju 4·3 and the 5·18 Democratization Movement. The question posed by the Korean Pavilion, staged upon the institutional platform of the national pavilion, is straightforward: Is “liberation” a concluded event, or an ongoing movement that must continue?

No Hyeri, bearing, 2026. Installation view of Fortress and Nest in the Liberation Zone. Korea Arts Council

On May 6, the Korea Arts Council officially opened the exhibition “Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest” at the Korean Pavilion in the Giardini, Venice, as part of the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2026. The exhibition, curated by artistic director Choi Bitna, features artists No Hyeri and Choi Goeun. It will welcome visitors for approximately seven months, from May 9 through November 22. Since the Korean Pavilion’s inauguration as the 26th national pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s Giardini in 1995, it has served as a symbol of Korean contemporary art’s entry onto the international stage.

This year, the core concept of the Korean Pavilion is the “Liberation Space.” While the term typically refers to the transitional period between Korea’s liberation in 1945 and the establishment of separate governments in the North and South in 1948, this exhibition refuses to confine it to a specific moment in the past. The official exhibition materials redefine “Liberation Space” as an unfinished era, a recurring struggle, and a practice of care and community. In particular, the exhibition takes Korea’s experiences in public squares from 2024 to 2025 as a contemporary starting point, transforming the pavilion itself into a “living monument.”

Choi Goeun’s “Meridian” pierces both the interior and exterior of the pavilion using copper pipes. Industrial materials commonly used in plumbing pierce the building’s walls and cylindrical structures, reopening previously closed spaces on the pavilion’s second floor. The work’s title refers both to geographic meridians and to energy meridians in Eastern medicine. The building is presented not as a fixed structure, but as a body whose blocked passages must be opened to restore circulation.

No Hyeri’s “Bearing,” on the opposite side, evokes the sense of a nest. Around 4,000 wax-coated organza pieces envelop the pavilion’s interior, guiding visitors through eight stations as they move in and out of the space. These are sites for mourning, remembrance, sharing, waiting, prospect, daily life, mending, and designing. “Bearing” is both the device that supports a machine’s rotation and a word meaning “to endure,” “to support,” “to change direction,” or “to give birth.” Through these dual meanings, the exhibition reframes liberation not as a grand declaration, but as an act of daily endurance and care.

'Fortress and Nest in the Liberation Space' installation view, 2026. Photo by Gam Donghwan. Korea Arts Council

The exhibition goes beyond the two artists’ installations. Farmer and activist Kim Hooju; writer and singer Lee Lang; Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang; photographer Hwang Yeji; and artist Christian Nyampeta participate as “fellows.” Han Kang presents a sculptural work, “The Funeral,” based on the opening scene of her novel “I Do Not Bid Farewell,” at the “mourning station.” Hwang Yeji contributes photographs and writings documenting scenes in public squares following the declaration of martial law in December 2024. Kim Hooju adds works that metaphorically represent experiences at Namtaeryeong and native seeds. Lee Lang composed a new song, “Our M,” which is placed at the “sharing station.”

This year’s Venice Biennale itself also opened against a backdrop of political tension. The 61st International Art Exhibition, themed “In Minor Keys” and curated by Coyo Kuo, runs from May 9 to November 22. According to official materials, this Biennale features 100 national pavilions and 31 collateral exhibitions, with 110 artists, duos, and collectives invited to the main exhibition. Kuo passed away last year, and the Biennale, with the consent of her family, is realizing the exhibition she conceived together with the curatorial team.

Surrounding the opening were developments such as the limited return of the Russian Pavilion, protests around the Israeli Pavilion, and resignations of international jurors, highlighting that the Biennale can no longer be seen as a purely artistic festival. In this context, the Korean Pavilion’s “Liberation Space” brings Korea’s unique historical memories into conversation with contemporary questions in the international art world. The exhibition re-examines issues of state violence, public squares, mourning, care, and sovereignty through the language of art.

'Fortress and Nest in the Liberation Space' Korean Pavilion Exterior, 2026. Photo by Gam Donghwan. Korea Arts & Culture Committee.

Early attention from international media has focused on the spatial interventions of the Korean Pavilion. The art magazine Frieze introduced the Korean Pavilion as one of this year’s must-see exhibitions at the Giardini and Arsenale. Frieze noted that Choi Goeun’s copper pipe installation traverses the pavilion like a body, while No Hyeri’s organza structures guide visitors along eight stations. Rather than establishing the architecture as a fixed national monument, the Korean Pavilion transforms it into a place where bodies move and memories circulate.

The collaboration between the Korean and Japanese pavilions is viewed in a similar light. The two are among the few Asian pavilions at the Giardini and are located adjacent to each other. This year marks the first official collaboration between the Korean and Japanese pavilions. Part of Choi Goeun’s “Meridian” extends onto the Japanese Pavilion’s grounds, and a “bearer” performing No Hyeri’s “Bearing” leads a baby doll from the Japanese Pavilion on a walk to the Korean Pavilion as a performance. The greenery and boundaries between the two pavilions thus become part of the exhibition.

The exhibition will not end in Venice. The Korean Pavilion project is scheduled to continue with a homecoming exhibition at the Arko Art Center in the spring of 2027 and a touring show at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles in the fall of the same year. Therefore, the title “Liberation Space” functions less as a single exhibition name and more as a network, beginning at the national pavilion in Venice and moving to other spaces in Korea and abroad. The liberation presented by this year’s Korean Pavilion is not a completed declaration, but an ongoing process that continues to move and unfold.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.