In the cross-border collaboration between Japanese architect Tadao Ando and British sculptor Antony Gormley, a stunning permanent installation art space was born at the Wonju SAN Museum in South Korea. This concrete art temple hidden deep underground has a 25-meter-diameter dome that creates a meditative cave space. The circular skylight in the center of the dome is like a sacred eye, accurately projecting natural light onto Gormley’s cast iron sculptures, creating a poem of light and shadow that changes over time. This is not only the ultimate interpretation of Ando’s iconic bare concrete architecture, but also the perfect symbiosis of architecture and sculpture – the space itself becomes a work of art, and the work of art gives the space a soul. In this quiet amphitheater, every visitor will experience a philosophical dialogue about existence, space, and light and shadow.
Tadao Ando and Gormley created a permanent installation called “Ground” at the SAN Museum in South Korea. The 25-meter concrete dome space, with a skylight on the top, brings in sacred light, forming a light and shadow dialogue with the cast iron sculpture. The work blurs the boundaries between physical and imaginary space, making sculpture a medium to activate perception. Adjacent to the “Spatial Painting” solo exhibition, the closed nature of the building evokes thoughts on the existence of the body. This installation creates spatial poetics and explores the essence of existence in light and shadow.
Tadao Ando’s concrete extension for the SAN Museum in 2013 broke the traditional white box exhibition model. The “Space of Light” meditation hall has become a model of the integration of architecture, sculpture and nature, highlighting the museum’s avant-garde concept of exploring the boundaries of art. This renovation work by the Pritzker Prize winner has pushed the poetics of space to a new level.
This underground art temple is hidden under the museum garden, and the glass windows of the underground observation room echo the ground gallery. Stepping into the central dome, Gormley’s cast iron portrait installation stands quietly in Ando’s iconic exposed concrete space – the rough wall texture, smooth floor and abstract iron sculpture form a triple texture symphony, transforming the space into an eternal spiritual field.
The huge arched opening forms a dialogue of light and shadow with the central circular hole, bringing natural light and surrounding scenery into the underground space. This design ingenuity extends the exhibition to the outdoor terrace, where a sculpture stands quietly, blurring the boundary between the inside and outside of the building. Tadao Ando uses simple geometric language to compose a poetic symphony of light and shape in the concrete space.
Antony Gormley’s “Paintings in Space” exhibition will continue at the SAN Museum until November. This unprecedented solo exhibition of the artist in Korea brings together 48 selected masterpieces. The exhibition forms a deep dialogue with the permanent installation “Ground” designed by Tadao Ando, jointly exploring the poetic relationship between the human body and space, bringing the audience an artistic experience that penetrates the boundaries between architecture and sculpture.
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