Design Miami/Seoul: inside the fair’s spectacular Korean debut

Design Miami has unveiled its first event in Seoul, which opened on 1 September 2025. Titled 'Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design', the event is held in collaboration with the Seoul Design Foundation and takes place at the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). The design fair runs through 14 September 2025, in parallel with the international art fairs Frieze Seoul and Kiaf, with the intention to create synergy in the art and design scene in Seoul (Wallpaper’s 'Best City’ in our 2024 Design Awards).

Design Miami's Seoul debut

The two-week event is the first multi-day event under the Design Miami.In Situ initiative, following an inaugural one-day event in Aspen, Colorado, in July 2025. Design Miami.In Situ is a travelling, localised exhibition series that aims to offer regionalised experiences and cultivate local design communities, and was created in celebration of Design Miami’s 20th anniversary this year.

The Seoul fair, marking the first time the design exhibition lands in Asia, showcases around 170 pieces of Korean collectible design by 71 artists and spotlights Korean design luminaries who have shaped the country’s design landscape, spanning from traditional craft to pioneering design innovations.

'The title was inspired by the Korean word ‘jo‑myeong’ which means ‘to illuminate,’' said Hyeyoung Cho, chairperson of the Korea Association of Art & Design, who curated the exhibition. 'There are so many talented Korean artists, and I am delighted to be able to shed light on their works through this exhibition. The strengths of Korean artists lie in their use of materials such as wood, metal and horsehair. Many of the exhibited artists are Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalists. I think the timing of this exhibition is perfect as Korean culture has gained incredible popularity recently.'

'We’ve been paying attention to Seoul for a long time,' said Jen Roberts, CEO of Design Miami. 'There is a history of great collectors in this city. In the past decade, we've seen an increase of participation in the design community from Korea. It started 14 years ago with one gallery, and now there are many Korean designers with many international galleries.'

Holding the Design Miami.In Situ at DDP is particularly meaningful, as 'Zaha Hadid received the inaugural Designer of the Year Award at Design Miami’s first edition in 2005', says Roberts. 'Now, 20 years on, we are honoured to present our first-ever exhibition in Seoul within one of her iconic landmarks,' she explains.

The exhibition spans two storeys at the Igansumun exhibition hall, named after one of the historic water gates of Seoul’s old fortress wall during the Joseon Dynasty. The partially restored historical site is now an exhibition space inside DDP, which is run by the Seoul Design Foundation.

Cha Kang Heui, CEO of Seoul Design Foundation, was excited to 'showcase Seoul’s creative energy and design potential', and anticipates Seoul will become 'a central hub leading the global discourse on design'.

Alongside the exhibition, the fair also offers an all-day programme of Design Talks, discussing Korean creativity and design in the global market.

Design Miami in Seoul: 11 Korean designers to know

Kyeok Kim

Exuding an overwhelming presence in front of the main entrance is Kyeok Kim’s ‘Second Surface Chandelier 02’, which is an atmospheric porous chandelier hovering in the ceiling. This structure that looks like a living organism is meticulously bound by layers of crochet copper wire and lacquered using centuries-old Korean traditional lacquer technique ‘ottchil’.

Byung Hoon Choi

Harmoniously placed next to Kim’s chandelier is Byung Hoon Choi’s ‘afterimage of beginning’ series presented by Friedman Benda. Choi uses natural materials such as wood, clay, granite, and stone, and his sculptural yet functional works are rooted in the craft traditions of Korea but expressed in a contemporary way. Choi is a pioneering figure in Korean design, who has fostered many young artists in the field and brought Korean artistry to the global stage.

Joonyong Kim

‘Yellowish Deep Gray Night (2024)’ by Joonyong Kim is the beautiful and elegant glass vase that adorns the exhibition poster. ‘Cast-blowing’ – blowing molten glass into a cast mould – is the method Kim uses to create his glass works. The mesmerising colours are inspired by natural light from sunrise to sunset and Kim tries to capture and materialise the spectrum and ephemerality of natural light in the glass.

Dongjun Kim

Opposite the entrance lies a series of elegant jars, one of which is Dongjun Kim’s ‘Moon Jar’ – a white porcelain ceramic vessel. Kim’s ‘Moon Jars’ are fired in a wood-fire kiln lit by timber he sources himself during winter, and his slow craft method is a continuation of the historical white porcelain production method used during the Joseon dynasty. The full-moon-shaped jar traditionally symbolises wholeness and harmony as well as good luck and fortune.

Jongjin Park

Two funky-looking blue vessels sit next to Kim’s ‘Moon Jar’ – spectacular millefeuille vessels layered up with 1,000 individual sheets of paper. Based on his experience with the centuries-old Moon Jar craft, Jongin Park developed an innovative technique of painting porcelain slips onto single sheets of everyday paper towels. The sculptural vessels created as a result embody amazingly colourful and surprising textures.

Kuho Jung

An interesting addition to the exhibition collection is ‘Bandaji’, a traditional Korean storage chest, by Korea’s well-known cross-disciplinary creative director Kuho Jung. Initially a fashion designer, he moved on to direct performances and designed costumes for the National Dance Company of Korea. His artistic vision has expanded into furniture with the ‘Bandaji’ series, as he reinterprets the traditional chest by combining transparent Plexiglas with white metal fittings.

Kyounghee Kim

On the stairway leading down to the second exhibition hall stand two large ‘jogakbo’ artworks by Kyounghee Kim, delicately patchworked using silk organza. Jogakbo refers to a specific type of ‘bojagi’ – or wrapping cloth, often handmade from silk or cotton – made by patchworking leftover fabric pieces.

Jungin Lee

At the bottom of the staircase is an immediately eye-catching white sofa by Jungin Lee, presented by Charles Burnand Gallery. Conscious of the environmental impact of furniture-making, Lee turned to ‘hanji’ – a traditional Korean paper made from the bark of the mulberry tree, historically used in the construction of Korean homes. She adopted the age-old technique of pasting hanji onto lattice windows to create her distinctive, sculptural chairs.

Dahyeon Yoo

Quietly sitting among the art furniture is a pair of leather woven cases by Dahyeon Yoo. Yoo’s ‘Harmony’ series (2023-2025) utilises historical techniques originating from Korean rice straw folk crafts of the Joseon Dynasty period and applies them to leather. The balanced, symmetrical forms represent inner harmony.

Dahye Jeong

Winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2022, Dahye Jeong presents her new work, ‘Drift as you are’ (2025), which sees her unique craft, working with horsehair, represented in the form of a wall light. Her horsehair vessel, ‘A Time of Sincerity’ (2021), from the Loewe Craft Prize, also returns this year, in black.

Wonmin Park

Centrally staged in the downstairs exhibition hall is Wonmin Park’s ‘Stone & Steel’ series presented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Taking diverse cues from both the natural and industrial world, Park’s new series of works includes a console and a bench – pieces that juxtapose the contrasting natures of primordial volcanic rock and modern industrial steel.