Under the Dome: Antony Gormley and Tadao Ando Meet in Seoul

Spanning three spaces of Museum SAN (Space Art Nature) in Seoul, Antony Gormley’s newest exhibition Drawing on Space features 48 works, including a permanent architectural collaboration with Tadao Ando titled Ground. It marks Gormley’s largest presentation in South Korea to date.

Gormley’s work reimagines the possibilities of sculpture by continually exploring the human body as a vessel for spatial perception and existential reflection. Initially using casts of his own body, the artist has grown to embrace more abstract forms that move beyond fixed representation. Ocula met with the artist during a 2022 studio visit, where he mentions his sculptures ‘acknowledge that there is an osmosis that happens when we share a sense of ease, even in silence, of just enjoying the same air.’

The exhibition at Museum SAN invites viewers to interact through movement, heightening sensory awareness and physical presence. Ground comprises Ando’s 25-metre-wide subterranean dome topped with an oculus rising more than seven metres from the ground. Residing within the dome are seven of Gormley’s cast-iron ‘Blockworks’ figures, posed in various contemplative configurations—whether standing, sitting, crouching, or reclining.

View the exhibition and highlights from the opening event below.

Main image: Exhibition view: Antony Gormley, Drawing on Space, Museum SAN, Seoul (20 June–30 November 2025). Courtesy Museum SAN.