When Design Miami opens its inaugural Seoul edition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza this September, the choice of venue carries a resonance that extends far beyond convenience.
Designed by the late Zaha Hadid — honored as the fair’s very first designer of the year in 2005 — DDP symbolizes the full-circle journey of Design Miami, a platform that has redefined collectible design over the past two decades.
“The choice of the DDP as our venue for the inaugural Seoul edition feels symbolic of our ongoing mission to expand Design Miami’s reach to new and global collectors, while remaining true to our original outlook and founding principles,” Jen Roberts, CEO of Design Miami, said in a recent e-mail interview.
“It’s both a tribute to our origins and a testament to where we’re headed. We’re not only celebrating Korea’s extraordinary design legacy and its contemporary innovators, but also reinforcing Design Miami’s role as a global platform for cultural exchange.”
Seoul, Roberts explained, was a natural choice for the fair’s first Asian edition. "As a UNESCO City of Design, the Korean capital is both a hub of cultural heritage and a center of contemporary innovation — a place where tradition and the future coexist in a uniquely dynamic way," she said.
That balance is reflected in this year’s theme, "Illuminated," inspired by the Korean word "jomyeong."
"The title 'Illuminated' speaks to the idea of shining a light — both on Korea’s rich design heritage and on the pioneering creativity shaping its future," she added. Featuring more than 170 works that span traditional craft and contemporary design, the Seoul exhibition seeks to highlight this dual identity while fostering meaningful exchange between Korean creators and the international design community.
The 14-day exhibition will present over 170 works, from Yoo Da-hyeon’s sculptural leather pieces inspired by Joseon-era (1392-1910) weaving to Kim Dong-jun’s wood-fired porcelain moon jars, alongside bold, experimental forms by Lee Hak-min and Kim Kye-ok that resonate on the global stage, she explained.
The Seoul edition is part of Design Miami's In Situ initiative, designed to offer a revolving program of highly localized experiences to a global audience, and which will be Design Miami's central focus going forward, she added.
"Two-way exchange is essential — celebrating the uniqueness of local perspectives while situating them within a truly global conversation. The Korean context is highly relevant to this vision: Korean culture is deeply rooted in heritage yet constantly pushing into the contemporary, offering a perspective that is both distinctive and globally resonant," she explained.
Marking the occasion, Design Miami is partnering with the Herald Design Forum, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year as Korea’s leading platform for design discourse.
“Both Design Miami and Herald have long been committed to design education in its many forms,” Roberts said.
"This year’s collaboration is a perfect example of how we are able to leverage the capabilities of our respective brands to create a truly powerful experience — Design Miami presenting 170-plus works of exceptional Korean design and Herald complementing the exhibition with thoughtful discourse for our visitors to experience around the impact of Korean design on a global scale."
gypark@heraldcorp.com
