Korea Artist Prize 2019

Korea Artist Prize is a prestigious art award and exhibition of Korea co-hosted by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and the SBS Foundation, and it aims to support those artists who have explored and attested to the potential of contemporary Korean art. Since 2012 until today, Korea Artist Prize has presented visions for contemporary Korean art by fostering discourses in the contemporary art scene. The artists have been chosen based on the recommendations of the committee comprising art professionals such as curators, critics, and scholars and the first-round evaluation process done by a panel of Korean and international judges: Ayoung Kim, Hyesoo Park, Jewyo Rhii, and Young In Hong.

In Korea Artist Prize 2019, Kim’s speculative fiction Porosity Valley 2: Tricksters’ Plot combines migration of different layers occurring globally and the pseudo-myths of Mongol and associates them with the influx of Yemen refugees seeking shelter on Jeju Island. Park looks into the generally accepted notions and values with regard to the individual and society in Korea from a variety of perspectives. Her work invites us to observe the definitions and categories of “we” set by the individuals, namely, their understandings of groups. Rhii builds a storage system, Love your depot that operates as both storage for works of art and a workspace for art-making. This system is an alternative proposal designed to seek ways of delaying the death of works by artists and of sharing art within the space realized by the artist. Driven by the worldwide prevalence of nationalism and social inequality, Hong has had an interest in animals who communicate in ways different from humans. The artist’s specific inquiry into the bird is reflected in her new work, Sadang B.   

Utilizing various mediums and addressing a range of subjects, the artists have approached social and aesthetic issues from different angles. Showcasing the works of these artists who occupy a pivotal position in the Korean art scene, Korea Artist Prize 2019 enables viewers to read the directions towards which contemporary art of fluidity and diversity is leaning and to encounter the conditions of our times visually embodied.