Gangnam Kyobo Tower

My Top 3

Outside the famed Gangnam Kyobo Tower is a public art installation of mosaic spires. In Seoul there is a law that states that every highrise building has to be accompanied by a sculpture. It’s a wonderful law. I think every city should adopt it! Public art abounds in Seoul and it really makes such a difference walking through it.

The building is home to, among other businesses, the Kyobo Bookstore.  It’s huge and so fun (I love bookshops. I could, and do, spend hours in them…). The building was designed by Mario Botta, an Italian architect who is world renowned. He also did the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco among many others… It’s a nice building actually, I quite like it.

Anyway, what I found so wonderful is out the front the mandatory artwork is a mosaic installation made by Yoo Keun-Sang called “Corea Fantasia”. I think it’s fantastic! Would love to have something like this in my garden. It’s made from ceramic, stained glass and smalti and is not grouted. The pieces have been pushed into the cement-based adhesive. Really inspiring work! I love the gradation of colour from cool to neutral to hot.