The Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his Seoul-based firm Mass Studies have been selected to design the 23rd Serpentine Pavilion, which will be unveiled on 5th June 2024 with Goldman Sachs, supporting the project for the 10th consecutive year. Titled Archipelagic Void the pavilion will be open to the public from 7th June to 27th October 2024.

Mass Studies envisions a circular void defined by a series of five adaptable “islands” located at its periphery, in dialogue with the surrounding park’s changing conditions. This central void will act like a madang, a small courtyard found in old Korean houses, accommodating different activities and experiences: from individual everyday activities to collective events. 

“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 explored over 20 iterations at the center 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 center as a void. It also begins to address the history of the Serpentine Pavilion. By inverting the center as a void, we shift our architectural focus away from the built center of the past, facilitating new possibilities and narratives”, Minsuk Cho said.

Around the void, each structure will be envisioned as a “content machine”, serving a different purpose. The Gallery will act as the main entry, extending Serpentine South’s curatorial activities outside, 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, and the Play Tower, the most open space, will feature a netted structure. Assembled, the various parts will give rise to five distinct covered spaces and five intermediate open areas that will host the scheduled events.