Interior of soon-to-be-demolished building featuring the ghost barstairs installation enveloping visitors in an ethereal environment.

Experimental Art Installations Transform Seoul’s Soon-to-Be-Demolished Building

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Written by Seth Sebastian

2026-10-13

Exploring Transience in a Seoul Building’s Final Days

In Seoul‘s Sinsa-dong district, a vacant building scheduled for demolition has become the stage for an innovative art exhibition titled “GHOST BARSTAIRS.” This event, known for its unique installation, is presented by design Studio Sukchulmok and Artist Kangyeon Lee. The event transforms the building’s bare reinforced-concrete skeleton into a dynamic exhibition space. The show examines the relationship between the building’s past utility and its undefined future.

Wooden cylinder with a steel cone forms Sukchulmok booth on the first floor.
a wooden cylinder pierced by a steel cone composes Sukchulmok booth on the first floor | all images ©Hong Seokgyu

Materials Reimagined: The Ghost Barstairs Installation and Timber and Steel Sculptures

At the heart of the exhibition is a striking installation by Studio Sukchulmok. A semicircular structure combines timber and steel, showcasing numerical proportions and the tactile qualities of stone, steel, and wood. This centerpiece serves as a contemporary anchor within the raw concrete environment, marking an exploration of spatial boundaries.

For another artistic transformation, explore how Nicholas Galanin’s optical illusion reshaped the St. Louis Gateway Arch with a monumental installation.

Sukchulmok booth commands the first floor with its heavy, dominant structure.
Sukchulmok booth anchors the first floor with a commanding, heavy presence

Capturing Stories of Consumption and Identity

Kangyeon Lee builds on his past labor experiences to craft sculptures that delve into themes of alienation and anonymity. Using materials like metal and plastic, these sculptural works reflect cycles of consumption and forgetting within a stark setting. The art installation provides a haunting contrast to the exposed architecture.

Kangyeon Lee's artworks displayed within Sukchulmok booth, creating a hacked installation.
artworks by Kangyeon Lee are placed within the Sukchulmok booth, transforming it into a ‘hacked’ installation

Design Interventions in an Urban Context

A thought-provoking addition by BRBB design practice takes root in the basement. Plywood panels are carefully arranged, curving and leaning against each other to create self-sustaining forms. These elements subvert traditional notions of partitions, proposing a new spatial dialogue within the unfinished shell.

Light illuminates both interior and exterior through drifting empty spaces on each floor.
drifting through the empty spaces of each floor, the light illuminates both the interior and exterior

As the building transitions towards its next phase, “GHOST BARSTAIRS” and its featured elements invite viewers to ponder the ephemeral nature of space and identity. This temporary gathering of artworks documents a unique intersection of past and future, poised delicately in a moment of architectural indeterminacy.

Similarly, the reuse of architectural spaces is seen in Uzbekistan’s first contemporary art hub which revitalizes a historic tram depot with new artistic expressions.

Lighting elements, resembling debris, intersect with Sukchulmok's experimental furniture pieces.
lighting elements resembling agglomerations of demolished debris sweep past Sukchulmok’s experimental furniture pieces
Kangyeon Lee's console, Chickens, evokes hidden entities amid cycles of oblivion.
Kangyeon Lee’s console, Chickens, summons anonymous entities obscured by cycles of consumption and oblivion
Sukchulmok's furniture and Kangyeon Lee's artworks interact as if in conversation.
Sukchulmok’s experimental furniture and Kangyeon Lee’s artworks intersect as if engaged in a dialogue
Furniture, sculpture, and structures adapt to the building's incomplete condition.
furniture, sculpture, and temporary structures respond to the building’s unfinished condition
Kangyeon Lee's artworks suggest anonymous figures influenced by consumption cycles.
Lee’s works evoke anonymous figures shaped by cycles of consumption
BRBB structures lean and support each other, creating gravity-defying forms.
BRBB’s structures lean, bend, and support one another, taking on forms that momentarily defy gravity
Rectangular volumes carved out by remains of original walls in the space.
traces remain where original walls once stood, carving out rectangular, three-dimensional volumes in the space
Light enters through building fissures, marking the exhibition's brief existence.
light penetrates through the fissures of the vacated building, signaling the beginning of this brief exhibition
Exhibition captures a fleeting moment before the building's next developmental phase.
the exhibition captures a temporary state before the building enters its next phase
Interior of soon-to-be-demolished building featuring the ghost barstairs installation enveloping visitors in an ethereal environment.

Sources & Links

Source: designboom.com

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of the GHOST BARSTAIRS exhibition?

The GHOST BARSTAIRS exhibition transforms a soon-to-be-demolished building into a dynamic art space, examining the relationship between the building’s past utility and its undefined future.

Who are the artists behind the GHOST BARSTAIRS event?

The GHOST BARSTAIRS event is presented by design Studio Sukchulmok and Artist Kangyeon Lee.

What materials are used in the GHOST BARSTAIRS installation?

The installation utilizes materials like timber, steel, stone, and wood, combining them in a semicircular structure to explore spatial boundaries.