Korean architect Minsuk Cho's Seoul-based firm Mass Studies has been selected to design the 23^rd Serpentine Pavilion. Titled Archipelagic Void, the pavilion design consists of five islands designed around an open central space. Mass Studies envisions a void defined by a series of smaller, adaptable structures located at its periphery, intertwining with the park’s natural ecology and its temporal conditions. These structures are meant to frame the madang, a small courtyard found in the traditional architecture of the Korean Hanok houses. The central circular void is shaped by the surrounding constellation of forms.

Minsuk Cho, architect at Mass Studies, said the following on being selected: “We are honoured and grateful to be chosen as the next Serpentine Pavilion architect. We began by asking what can be uncovered and added to the Serpentine site, which has already been explored over 20 iterations at the centre of the lawn, by a roster of great architects and artists. To approach this new chapter differently, instead of viewing it as a carte blanche, we embraced the challenge of considering the many existing peripheral elements while exploring the centre as a void. It also begins to address the history of the Serpentine Pavilion. By inverting the centre as a void, we shift our architectural focus away from the built centre of the past, facilitating new possibilities and narratives.”

A traditional madang opens itself up to rich spatial narratives ranging from individual everyday activities to large collective events. Around the void, each structure of this multifaceted Pavilion will be envisioned as a content machine each individually named and serving a different purpose. 'The Gallery' will act as the welcoming main entry, extending Serpentine South’s curatorial activities outside, while the ‘Auditorium’ will serve as a gathering area. A small 'Library' will feature to the north of the Pavilion, offering a moment of pause. The ‘Tea House’ will honour the Serpentine South's historical role as a tea pavilion. The ‘Play Tower’, the most open space, will feature a netted structure.

“We are honoured to present Minsuk Cho’s first structure on UK soil here at Serpentine as our next architecture Pavilion, opening this summer. Titled ‘Archipelagic Void,’ Cho’s Pavilion is modular by nature, composed of individual structures that serve specific functions, yet which also come together as a continuous unit.”  – Bettina Korek, Chief Executive, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine

Founded in 2003, Mass Studies hopes to critically investigate architecture in the context of mass production, intensely over-populated urban conditions, and other emergent cultural niches that define contemporary society. Cho has garnered numerous accolades and presented across several events and biennales. Cho co-curated the exhibition Named Design at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011, in collaboration with Anthony Fontenot under the direction of Seung H-Sang and Ai Weiwei. In June 2014, Cho received the prestigious Golden Lion Award for the Best National Pavilion while serving as the commissioner and co-curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 14^th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.

Additionally, Mass Studies works have been presented in various exhibitions, including the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2004 and 2010, and the Vitra Design Museum. Mass Studies’ architectural designs and presentations are part of the collections and archives of the MoMA (New York), DAM (Frankfurt), Art Institute Chicago, and the Mokchon Architecture Archive (Seoul).

Mass Studies’ Pavilion will be unveiled at Serpentine South on June 5, 2024. This innovative commission has seen the works of numerous architects and designers starting with Dame Zaha Hadid in 2000 followed by Sumayya Vally, Counterspace (South Africa), Frida Escobedo (Mexico), Diébédo Francis Kéré (Burkina Faso) and Bjarke Ingels (Denmark). In 2022, Black Chapelwas designed by Theaster Gates (US) and in 2023 À tablewas designed by Lina Ghotmeh (France and Lebanon). The Pavilion has evolved over the years as a participatory public and artistic platform for the Serpentine’s pioneering, interdisciplinary, community and education programmes.