OMA has unveiled its most recent exhibition design for “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” in Seoul, South Korea. The exhibition, which is being held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), is the fifth collaboration between OMA and Dior. Previous designs include Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2022) and Dior: From Paris to the World at the Denver Art Museum (2018) and Dallas Museum of Art (2019). The Seoul exhibition showcases the cultural heritage of Korea and Dior’s creative history, spanning more than 80 years.
The exhibition integrates local cultural references, materials, and spatial strategies to reinterpret the history of Dior through a Korean lens. The Seoul edition, in contrast to previous incarnations that were held in traditional museum galleries, utilizes DDP’s Art Hall 1, an expansive, column-free volume, to present a unified, continuous exhibition narrative rather than a sequence of discrete rooms.
The exhibition is concentrating around “The Garden,” a large open space that functions as the madang, or courtyard, with smaller galleries unfolding around it. The spatial organization is inspired by the traditional Korean hanok. The design of “The Garden” is envisioned as a large-scale, inhabitable moon jar, which is a term that refers to the porcelain vessel that is traditionally produced by separately throwing and connecting hemispherical halves. The artist Hyun Joo Kim has created a textured hanji forest landscape that intersects with a dynamic projected dome within the 12-meter-tall vessel.
This dialogue is furthered by thematic chambers, which translate culturally significant Korean objects and techniques into spatial elements. Through the use of the jogakbo textile technique, “Dior Legacy” depicts the timeline of the House’s creative directors in a single curving ribbon, implying both continuity and distinction across periods. A modular and sculptural exhibit system is informed by traditional red lacquerware cabinetry in the “Lady Dior” room.
The objective of the new materialities and display strategies that have been implemented in other rooms is to improve the relationship between the viewer, object, and space. Visual permeability and reflection are introduced by layered scrims, mirrored louvers, suspended toiles, and metal cables, which provide a variety of perspectives on garments, artworks, and artifacts. Emphasizing the multifaceted and evolving history of Dior, these components contribute to an immersive experience.
OMA’s most recent projects include the design of the New Museum’s expansion in New York, which will double the gallery space and enhance circulation in addition to the existing SANAA-designed centerpiece. The company designed the scenography for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, creating a spatial narrative that improves the visitor experience. The exhibition will be on display until May 25, 2025. The ongoing renovation of the heritage-listed Perth Concert Hall in Australia and the renovation of the Gallery of the Kings at the Museo Egizio in Turin are other notable undertakings.
