Frame Gwangju (2026)
프레임 광주
Design: Prof. Seuk Hoon Kim / Eccentric Design Lab (EDL), Hanyang University
Design Team: Jeong Eun Lee, Yoonhan Jeon / Studio Eccentric
Client: Private
Type: Gallery
Location: Gwangju, Korea
Photography: Mingu Kang
Located on Gwangju’s Art Street, Frame Gwangju was conceived as an architectural device that contains, presents, and connects art with the city. The architecture of the gallery building and its exhibition spaces were designed to operate within a single unified concept.
The project begins, as its name suggests, with the idea of the ‘frame.’ A frame is not only a physical boundary surrounding a work of art, but also a device that defines the viewer’s perspective and creates new scenes. On the façade of the building, three-dimensional frames of varying sizes and intervals are arranged to create a rhythmic expression that continuously changes as one moves along the street.
A second layer of red corrugated panels is placed behind the outer frames, adding depth and contrast to the façade. The vertical ridges of these panels were inspired by the columnar joints of Mudeungsan Mountain, one of Gwangju’s most recognizable natural landmarks. By abstracting the repetitive vertical geological formations shaped over a long period of time into a contemporary architectural language, the design seeks to embed the memory and identity of Gwangju within the exterior of the gallery.
The outer frames and the inner red layer are perceived with varying degrees of depth depending on light and viewpoint. During the day, the shadows and repeated structural elements emphasize the three-dimensional quality of the façade. At night, the red surface within becomes more prominent, creating a strong visual presence facing the Art Street.
Rather than directly reproducing familiar images of the region, Frame Gwangju reinterprets Gwangju’s natural landscape and artistic energy through an abstract spatial language. Each frame becomes both a window through which art is presented and a perspective through which city is viewed, while the building as a whole functions as a larger frame connecting art, the street, people, and place.
프레임 광주
Design: Prof. Seuk Hoon Kim / Eccentric Design Lab (EDL), Hanyang University
Design Team: Jeong Eun Lee, Yoonhan Jeon / Studio Eccentric
Client: Private
Type: Gallery
Location: Gwangju, Korea
Photography: Mingu Kang
Located on Gwangju’s Art Street, Frame Gwangju was conceived as an architectural device that contains, presents, and connects art with the city. The architecture of the gallery building and its exhibition spaces were designed to operate within a single unified concept.
The project begins, as its name suggests, with the idea of the ‘frame.’ A frame is not only a physical boundary surrounding a work of art, but also a device that defines the viewer’s perspective and creates new scenes. On the façade of the building, three-dimensional frames of varying sizes and intervals are arranged to create a rhythmic expression that continuously changes as one moves along the street.
A second layer of red corrugated panels is placed behind the outer frames, adding depth and contrast to the façade. The vertical ridges of these panels were inspired by the columnar joints of Mudeungsan Mountain, one of Gwangju’s most recognizable natural landmarks. By abstracting the repetitive vertical geological formations shaped over a long period of time into a contemporary architectural language, the design seeks to embed the memory and identity of Gwangju within the exterior of the gallery.
The outer frames and the inner red layer are perceived with varying degrees of depth depending on light and viewpoint. During the day, the shadows and repeated structural elements emphasize the three-dimensional quality of the façade. At night, the red surface within becomes more prominent, creating a strong visual presence facing the Art Street.
Rather than directly reproducing familiar images of the region, Frame Gwangju reinterprets Gwangju’s natural landscape and artistic energy through an abstract spatial language. Each frame becomes both a window through which art is presented and a perspective through which city is viewed, while the building as a whole functions as a larger frame connecting art, the street, people, and place.
