The Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza(DDP) is hosting the ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ exhibition, celebrating 75 years of the iconic luxury brand. Designed by Shohei Shigematsu, a partner at the architecture firm OMA, the exhibition breaks away from the traditional white-box format, creating an immersive display that showcases Dior’s glamorous world. The exhibition integrates elements of traditional Korean culture into a spacious and open design, expanding across themes. Each segmented space presents diverse scenes such as the streets of Paris, inside a moon jar, tunnel-like cabinets, and a grand spiral staircase, unfolding Dior’s timeless archive in dazzling detail.
30 Avenue Montaigne
The New Look
Miss Dior
Garden
DDP Art Hall 1 adopts a narrative structure inspired by traditional Korean hanok architecture. At its heart lies the central ‘Garden’, functioning as a courtyard and leading to smaller galleries. These galleries vary in form, color, material, and texture, offering organic or linear arrangements, bright or dim lighting, and monochromatic or vibrant palettes. Together, they create a rhythmic procession of diverse atmospheres. The garden itself is a hemispherical space reminiscent of a moon jar. Beneath a domed ceiling soaring up to 12m, soft milky light projected onto hanji oftraditional Korean paper evokes the serene glow of moonlight.
Major exhibition halls reinterpret Dior’s world through objects inspired by Korean culture. For example, the ‘Dior Legacy’ section uses traditional patchwork techniques to weave the timelines of Dior’s creative directors into a ribbon-like structure, highlighting the unique characteristics of each era while maintaining their continuity. Meanwhile, the ‘Lady Dior’ section showcases Dior’s heritage in modular sculptural displays, drawing inspiration from lacquered red cabinets.
Colorama
The Dior Ateliers
The Dior Legacy
Lady Dior
J’Adore
Stars in Dior
The Dior Ball
Interactive and relational displays further enhance the experience. Layered scrims, mirror-like louvers reflecting infinitely, suspended toiles forming dreamlike layers, and metallic cables scattering light illustrate transparency, openness, and reflection. These elements create dynamic interactions between objects, offering viewers a multi-sensory appreciation of Dior’s rich history.
The exhibition concludes with golden mirrors, oversized video screens, and perfume bottles designed in collaboration with installation artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. Dior’s legacy of opulence and splendor is likened to a finely woven silk road, linking its storied past with its ongoing, radiant journey into the future.
The exhibition runs until July 13.
Project: Dior-DoD Seoul / Location: Art Hall 1, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea / Client: Christian Dior Couture / Installation Design: OMA New York / Partner: Shohei Shigematsu / Associate: Christy Cheng / Project leader: Caroline Corbett / Team: Baiyang Kong, Timothy Ho, Seong Hyun Lee, Idil Derman, Gianlorenzo Bertolero / Curator: Florence Müller / Featured artists: Miss Dior_Eva Jospin, Miss Dior’s Garden_Hyun Joo Kim, The Dior Legacy_Zadie Xa, The Dior Ball_Soo Sunny Park / Contributing Artists: Seon Ghi Bahk, Lee Bul, Ha Chong-Hyun, Kyungwoo Chun, Lee Hun Chung, Gigisue Gimhongsok, René Gruau, Jungpyo Hong, Choi Jeong Hwa, Ran Hwang, Eva Jospin, Hee Won Kim, Hyunjoo Kim, Minjung Kim, Lee Kun-Yong, Woo Kukwon, Oh You Kyeong, Jukhee Kwon, Jia Lee, Jungin Lee, Kwangho Lee, Jay Sae Jung Oh, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Soo Sunny Park, Wonmin Park, Suki Seokyeong, Lee Ufan, Yesum Yoon, Zadie Xa / Hanji artist: Hyun Joo Kim / Hats and headpieces: Stephen Jones, Julia Wigley / Production: Anamorphee / Mountng: Agence Alighieri / Construction: KESSON / Projections: TheGream / Lighting & sound design: LightEmotion / Audiovisual design & hardware The Gream, Creum / Art consulting and galeries: HM Conseil, Thaddaeus Ropac, Kukje Gallery / Graphic design: Anamorphée / Textile and artworks mounting, colorama conception and production: Agence Alighieri, Solutions Plus Korea, Cardinal Art Solutions, Hypergalaxy / Translation: Mot.tiff inside / Art handling and transport: André Chenue, Dongbu Art Co., Ltd., DSV Air & Sea, Gamblin, L&B Fine Art, LP ART, Masterpiece Intl, PRODEX Aerospace Solutions / Metal fabrication: O2 Metal / Wood fabrication: Yulsan D&C / Fabrics & Jogakbo: Easement / Exhibition prints: PICTO / Signage: Andwe / Exhibition operations: AMHERST Inc. / Venue: Seoul Design Foundation, Team at Dongdaemun Design Plaza / Program: Exhibition / Size: 2,000m² / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©Kyungsub Shin (courtesy of the architect), ©OMA (courtesy of the architect), ©Dior (courtesy of the architect)
