Not just apartments: MMCA exhibition shows off Korea's housing and living spaces

Models, blueprints, interior and exterior photographs and related documents portraying Korean housing culture are on display at the MMCA Gwacheon branch’s latest exhibition, titled “Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living.”

“Apricot Tree Upper & Downstair Houses” (2009-10) by Cho Nam-ho [MMCA]

In Yongin, Gyeonggi, are two buildings collectively called “Apricot Tree Upper & Downstair Houses” (2009-10). The upper house, located on top of a hillside, has a yard in front of its basement workshop, which connects to the back of the lower house by a 1-meter (3.2-feet) high staircase.

The two upper and lower houses have brick walls and gable roofs made of the same material, but their shapes are different. The two houses are like siblings that may look alike in some ways, but are distinctly different.

Two families of architects live here, and they are close to the point that they consider each other relatives. These houses were completed around 2010 after a long and thorough discussion with architect Cho Nam-ho. They represent the unique lifestyle and residential style of nuclear families who, despite living in nearby apartment units, remain distant from each other.

Models, blueprints, interior and exterior photographs and related documents portraying Korean housing culture are on display at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Gwacheon branch’s latest exhibition, titled “Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living.”

In six sections, the exhibition tells the stories of 58 single-family and apartment homes designed by 30 teams of architects since 2000. In addition to architectural records such as sketches, blueprints and models that examine the architects' design process, the exhibition also presents documentation, such as photographs and diaries, that show how the owners or residents live in these homes. Simply put, it is not just an exhibition about architectural design, but an examination of Korean residential culture in social and cultural contexts.

“Korea is known as a republic of apartments because of how the number of them dominates other forms of housing,” said Jeong Da-young, the exhibition’s curator at the MMCA. “I wanted to learn about the people who build and live in alternative spaces, which I think is related to having an active lifestyle.”

″Cat-tagonal House″ (2020) by Park Ji-hyeon and Cho Seong-hak [MMCA]

“The Home as a Social Ground” section features houses that experiment with the possibility of forming alternative communities. This section features new examples of apartment houses where single households are able to have privacy and yet socialize in communal spaces for a loose sense of psychological solidarity.

A major example is “Thirdplace Hongeun 1-8,” which was built over four years in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, and is said to be very popular among the younger generation. It was designed by architect Park Chang-hyun.

The “Reimagining Family Homes” section showcases homes that are not optimized for the traditional four-person nuclear family, but for new and diverse family forms. The "Cat-tagonal House,” built in 2020 in Yongin, Gyeonggi, is a pentagonal flat fit for cats and their owner.

The architects behind this building, Park Ji-hyeon and Cho Seong-hak, worked with the owner to design windows that would be at the eye level of a cat, as well as cat-friendly spaces and a dressing room that would be shielded from the massive amounts of fur that cats shed.

“Malefemale House” (2018) by aoa architects [MMCA]

The “Malefemale House” (2018) in Hongeun-dong in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, is designed for a childless couple to spend time together on the first floor, while the second and third floors are used as independent spaces. It is a structure that appeals to couples who still value their own space and time even after marriage. It was designed by aoa architects.

“The Home as a Panorama” section, in a nutshell, is about rural houses. However, these are not just cottages, but houses that came into fruition from the resources of each countryside area. Some examples include “Ginseng Warehouse in Wachon-ri” (2012) by Chung Hyun-a and “The Vault House” (2017) by Lee So-jung and Kwak Sang-joon.

On the other hand, the “Small Homes, Renovated Homes” section responds to the utilization of limited resources by renovating old homes in urban areas. Here, visitors can check out architect Cho Min-suk's first domestic work, “Pixel House” (2003), located in Paju, Gyeonggi, and “House THIN-THIN” (2018) in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

“House THIN-THIN” (2018) by Ahn Kee-hyun and Shin Min-jae [MMCA]

With a width of merely 2.5 meters, the latter house makes one wonder why it isn't already registered by Guinness World Records. The house’s interior space is even smaller, at 1.5 meters wide. The house had no choice but to be extremely narrow due to the elongated plot of land cut off by a buffer zone near the Gyeongbu Expressway. Architects Ahn Kee-hyun and Shin Min-jae are the ones who brought this building to life.

“The Home as an Architectural Manifesto” section covers houses that emphasize the architect’s creativity, such as Seung H-Sang’s “Subaekdang” (1999-2000) and Cho Byoung-soo's “Earth House” (2009). “The Home as a Temporary Dwelling” section introduces the concept of shared vacation homes, which are owned and used by multiple people and have recently increased in popularity in Korean society.

Curator Jeong says that all 58 houses were chosen based on the “passion” of both the architects and the owners. “We avoided luxury houses that had floor areas of more than 330 square meters [3,552 square feet] to ensure many people could relate to these homes,” she said.

“Ginseng Warehouse in Wachon-ri” (2012) by Chung Hyun-a [MMCA]

When asked if living in a house specially designed by an architect would be a financial burden, she replied that most of these houses were built in rural regions or on small pieces of land in the cities.

“Even when you add it to the cost of the land, it would be cheaper or similar to buying a 99-square-meter apartment unit in Seoul.”

Another unique trait of the exhibition is that the participating architects are all of different generations, showcasing a large spectrum from famed figures to budding figures. But the show not only sheds light on the architects’ philosophy, but the owners’ thoughts as well.

“We wanted to present an alternative form of lifestyle,” Jeong said.

“Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living” continues until Feb. 2 next year. The MMCA Gwacheon branch is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Mondays. Tickets are 2,000 won ($1.40).

BY MOON SO-YOUNG [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]