The 23rd Serpentine Pavilion exhibition opened last week in London’s Kensington Gardens, drawing the usual mixture of praise and derision from UK-based critics who responded to the Archipelagic Void from Minsuk Cho and Mass Studies.

Kicking things off was the perfunctory Rowan Moore review. The Guardian’s longest-tenured critic seemed to enjoy the programmatic diversity of elements such as the Library of Unread Books and Play Tower, quipping that it is “an architectural equivalent of Korean multi-dish meals.” 

“It’s an enjoyable, playful, centrifugal-centripetal place, loose but distinctive, not afraid to be a bit ugly, full of contrasts and surprises, that gets a lot into its fairly small square footage,” he concludes. “The design is characterful but not dominating. It feels like what it is – a temporary building – rather than one that wishes it were permanent.” 

(We’ll have to wait for his colleague Oliver Wainwright’s take on it at this time.)

Writing in the Telegraph, Helen Barrett asks, “What’s the point?” of summer exhibitions like the Serpentine. Her argument (which is locked behind a subscriber prompt) considers the first South Korean contribution against the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating, “ideas for a better world can also be a flashpoint for dissent.” 

She goes on to agree with Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist in saying that it has utility, at least in terms of its capacity to place young architects into the international spotlight (Jun'ya Ishigami, Sumayya Vally/Counterspace, and Lina Ghotmeh are three late examples). Mass Studies’ inclusion is more and less a return to normal, however, as Cho’s first big break came ten years ago when he won the prestigious Golden Lion trophy at the 2014 Venice Biennale.

Over in the Evening Standard, Robert Bevan picked at its hasty faux charred timber stain but complemented Cho on the delicate fascias on each of the five individual pavilions, adding that the low roofline of the teahouse pavilion (a nod to the original Serpentine’s design) lends a sense of intimacy for visitors. In the end, he says, "there is a welcome conviction in its architectural noir."

Considering its departure from past circularity and the overall aesthetic quality, The Times critic Laura Freeman wrote that it is “eccentric but not particularly attractive.”

Finally, for the Architects' Journal, Rob Wilson summarizes: "So is this a good year? In a word, yes. Whether crashed star or spread-out feast, Cho’s pavilion is a good balance of concept, materials and use of the site."

"Mass Studies’s Serpentine pavilion led by Minsuk Cho is another exciting step forward for this singular commission that has pushed the boundaries of creative experimentation with architecture," Serpentine Galleries Chief Executive Bettina Korek and Obrist added before last week's unveiling.

And some thoughts on the pavilion from social media..

Serpentine Pavilion this year is fun. But big. And heavily engineered. Minsuk Cho. pic.twitter.com/KypnzfLH6S
— edwin heathcote (@edwinheathcote) June 5, 2024

Excellent! Though I think it should be more climbing less pavilion a la Toshiko MacAdam pic.twitter.com/hSTKYWsXyT
— Alexandra Lange (@LangeAlexandra) June 5, 2024

The Serpentine Pavillion is open now and remains on view in Kensington Gardens until the 27th of October.