Tadao Ando designed a performing arts center in Seoul — and it is worth visiting before the performance even begins.

LG Arts Center Seoul opened in Magok in 2022, presenting theater, dance, classical music and jazz throughout the year. The neighborhood feels noticeably different from central Seoul. To the west of the city, not far from Yeouido and on the way toward Incheon Airport, Magok is defined by newer developments, stretches of greenery and a sense of space that can be difficult to find elsewhere in Seoul.

The arts center gives the neighborhood one of its most distinctive landmarks. Visiting for a performance, I found myself looking for the details that make Ando’s buildings so recognizable. His signature exposed concrete is everywhere, but so is his careful use of light and nature — elements that soften what might otherwise feel like a monumental building.

The experience begins before you reach the main hall. A long oval passage leads visitors into the arts center, its walls and ceiling wrapped in a continuous pattern of rippling wood. The surface seems to move as you walk through it, while natural light enters from the far end and gradually spreads across the tunnel.

By the time you arrive, the building has already given you something to think about.

For anyone planning to see a performance in Seoul, LG Arts Center is worth adding to the itinerary. But even without a ticket, there is another reason to make the trip to Magok: the chance to experience one of Tadao Ando’s buildings as it was intended — not simply to be looked at, but to be walked through.