September 1, 2025 – Seoul, South Korea – Today marks the preview day for Design Miami’s first event in Seoul, and first multi-day event under the new Design Miami.In Situ initiative. The landmark exhibition of Korean collectible design, presented in collaboration with the Seoul Design Foundation, opens to the public tomorrow, September 2, 2025, and runs until September 14, 2025, hosted at Seoul’s iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
Titled Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design, the exhibition presents over 170 pieces of Korean design, marking the first major international collectible design event in the city. Inspired by the Korean word “조명 (jo-myeong)”, meaning “to illuminate”, the exhibition spotlights the distinctiveness of Korean design, and the design luminaries who have shaped the country’s collectible design landscape. Curated by acclaimed Korean design expert, Hyeyoung Cho, the event is a true celebration of Korea’s rich design legacy, while inspiring the next generation. Alongside the objects on show, Design Miami is hosting a compelling program of Design Talks on Tuesday, September 2, to enrich the programming with thoughtful dialogue.
Exhibitor Highlights.
J. Lohmann Gallery (New York) presents work by Jongjin Park, whose inimitable ornamental language harmoniously combines materials that are seemingly at odds with one another to create his sublime and sculptural vessels. He paints porcelain slips onto single sheets of everyday paper towels. Jongjin then layers up to 1,000 individual sheets of paper to form spectacular millefeuille vessels with amazingly colorful and surprising textures. The innovative technique was developed by Park based on his experience with the centuries-old Moonjar craft.
Also presenting is Gallery SKLO (Seoul), the city’s only gallery dedicated to contemporary glass, which is committed to exploring the sculptural and artistic potential of the medium, pushing its material boundary. Among the designers on show are Kira Kim, a pioneering figure of the first generation of Korea’s studio glass movement; Joonyong Kim, who captures the spectrum and ephemerality of natural light; Jiyong Lee, known for his Cell Structure series, exploring the invisible systems of life through geometric abstraction in glass blocks; and Sunghoon Park, who harnesses the sculptural language of glass to create abstract yet immersive visions of the cosmos.
Friedman Benda (New York/Los Angeles) presents work by pioneering Korean designer, Byung Hoon Choi. Since the 1970s, Choi has advanced education and scholarship in the field, bringing Korean artistry to the global stage. His practice synthesizes traditional Korean craft and contemporary design, creating works that are both sculptural and functional, utilizing natural materials such as wood, clay, granite, and stone. In the exhibition, Friedman Benda presents his afterimage of beginning 021-577 (2021) and afterimage of beginning 018-499 (2018): sculptural works that harness natural materials to seek a form of realism that excludes artificiality and embraces nature’s beauty.
Charles Burnand Gallery (London) presents works by six of Korea’s most compelling voices in collectible design: Mia Jung, Myungtaek Jung, Heechan Kim, Kyeok Kim, Jungin Lee, and Weon Rhee, including an illuminated chandelier by Kyeok Kim and hanging piece by Heechan Kim.
FABRIKR (Seoul) is a sustainability-focused design duo, best known for dedication to upcycling, breathing new life into existing materials by thoughtfully transforming everyday objects into entirely new expressions. For Illuminated, the duo unveils a new chapter in their practice: presenting fully original, self-initiated creations that extend their long-standing ethos of transformation, yet move beyond reimagined objects. New works on show include FABRIKR’s Sparrow chair and Nest table, both crafted from epoxy resin, a signature material through the history of their practice; not just as a coating, but rather as a way of creating new forms and object identities.
Marta (Los Angeles) spotlights the work of internationally recognized multi-disciplinary designer, Minjae Kim. Conceived as a triangulation of furnishings for an artist’s retreat, the trio comprises a bed, a chair, and a light source: Daybed With Pillow, Ruffled Chair, and Lamp With Roof–in Minjae’s mind, respectively: a place to dream, a place to sit, and illumination by which to create.
Salon 94 Design (New York) presents a diverse set of works by Sally J. Han x Locatelli Partners, Jay Sae Jung Oh, Jaiik Lee and Kwangho Lee. Inspired by traditional Korean ceramics—particularly the Moon Jars of the late Joseon Dynasty, with their imperfect roundness and visible joining marks—Jaiik Lee‘s Transition series represents a pivotal evolution in his artistic journey, transforming rigid copper into flowing organic forms.
SIDE Gallery (Barcelona) presents a compelling cross-section of contemporary Korean design, showcasing the work of four leading voices: Gyuhan Lee, Donghoon Sohn, Hyeokjin Lee, and Jinyeong Yeon. Through distinct methodologies and material vocabularies, each designer contributes to a broader global vision of what contemporary design can be—conceptually rigorous, materially conscious, and deeply rooted in cultural reflection.
Design Talks Program Highlights.
More information here.
Under the curatorial theme Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design, Design Miami.In Situ, Seoul presents a curated series of four design talks, hosted on September 2, 2025, including a collaborative session with the Herald Corporation.
Highlights include Jen Roberts (Design Miami, CEO), in conversation with leading gallerists Hyojung Kim (Director, Gallery Sklo), Simon Stewart (Founder and Director, Charles Burnand Gallery), and Zesty Meyers (Principal & Co-Founder, R & Company) on the cultural importance of the collectible design market and the role of Korean creativity within the global landscape; pioneering Korean designers Byung Hoon Choi, Minjae Kim, Jaiik Lee, and Jane Yang-D’Hae on how Korean design engages with the global stage, and how it has achieved visibility, influence, and cultural resonance internationally; and a spotlight on the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize and how it has been pivotal in demonstrating the breadth and sophistication of Korean contemporary craft, with Myungtaek Jung (2022, Finalist; 2023, Expert Panelist), Dahye Jeong (2022, Winner); and Keeryong Choi (2023, Finalist; 2024, Expert Panelist) in conversation, presented by The Loewe Foundation. The design talks program will culminate with an in-depth conversation between Kuho Jung (Artist), Zuhyung Yu (CEO, Cafe ONION, Chicory Hotel), moderated by Hyeyoung Cho (Curator, Illuminated), around K-Design and its meaningful contribution to ongoing transnational cultural dialogues, presented in partnership with Herald Corporation.
