Discover the new underground concrete dome designed by Tadao Ando for Antony Gormley at Museum SAN in South Korea. A unique blend of architecture, sculpture, and immersive design.

Hidden beneath the serene forests of Wonju, South Korea, lies a remarkable new space—one that doesn’t rise to meet the sky, but sinks into the earth with quiet elegance.

Celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando has designed a subterranean concrete gallery at Museum SAN, created specifically to house a permanent installation by British sculptor Antony Gormley. This is not just a gallery. It’s a powerful fusion of architectural design and experiential art, inviting visitors to engage with space, silence, and light in entirely new ways.

A Dome Beneath the Forest

Conceived as “both a work of art and an experiential site,” the gallery is built as a 25-metre-wide underground dome, pierced only by a central oculus that filters daylight into the core. Visitors arrive through a 50-meter-long approach tunnel, slowly transitioning from the outside world into a sacred, contemplative space.

True to Ando’s minimalist style, the raw concrete structure blends geometry, light, and texture in poetic balance. The dome’s quiet strength makes you feel protected, yet aware of your place in the wider natural world.

Antony Gormley’s Sculptures: Stillness in Steel

Inside the dome, Gormley’s cast-iron human forms stand scattered in silence. Their stillness speaks volumes. Known for exploring the human body’s relationship with space, Gormley’s sculptures serve as both anchors and observers within the circular chamber.

As sunlight from the oculus shifts through the day, the interplay of shadow and steel offers an ever-changing experience of presence and reflection.

Museum SAN: A Growing Legacy of Art and Architecture

The new underground gallery builds on Tadao Ando’s existing architectural legacy at Museum SAN (Space Art Nature), which he originally designed in 2013. Located just two hours from Seoul, this mountaintop art destination combines modern architecture with nature and mindfulness—and the new dome only strengthens that mission.

Visitors don’t just view art here. They experience it—through texture, silence, and sensory immersion.

Why This Space Matters?

In an age where buildings often compete for attention, Ando’s gallery disappears into the landscape. It doesn’t dominate. It listens. The structure doesn’t shout, it whispers—through its curves, shadows, and the grounding stillness it offers.

This isn’t just a room. It’s a meditative environment that makes you stop, think, and feel.

A New Era of Experiential Art Spaces

This underground dome is part of a growing global trend—where art and architecture merge to offer emotional and sensory encounters. As museums and galleries shift away from sterile white cubes, projects like this one at Museum SAN are reshaping how we connect with space, light, and creative expression.

It’s an invitation to slow down. To look inward. And to reimagine what a gallery can be.

Credits – http://bit.ly/4kokuP1