Ayoung Kim Wins 2025 LG Guggenheim Award
146Feb. 25, 2025
Korean artist Ayoung Kim has been named the winner of the thirdLG Guggenheim Award. Established in 2023 by New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and South Korean tech company LG as part of the LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative, a five-year program aimed at discovering and elevating artists working at the intersection of art and technology, the honor is attended by an unrestricted $100,000 award.
Born in Seoul in 1979, Kim is trained in motion graphics and lens-based media. She draws inspiration from Webtoon aesthetics and GL (Girls’ Love) and is known for using emerging technologies to explore contemporary issues through work that engages classical cinematic tropes. She deploys media including virtual reality, game engines, live simulation, performance, sculpture, and printmaking, placing these in the service of works that investigate such diverse topics as ancient cosmologies and the daily lives of algorithmically managed service workers.
“As technology advances, human life inevitably becomes more intricate,” said Kim in a statement. “What artists can do with technology is explore the uncertain possibilities it may conceal and deploy it in the most intuitive way. Neither a techno-determinist nor a techno-pessimist, I have always wanted to comment on the impact of technology in our society by using it.”
“Kim’s pathbreaking work invites viewers not only to marvel at her technical mastery but also to engage with deep questions about time and the human experience in an accelerating digital age,” said Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator of the Guggenheim, in a statement. “By revealing the convergence of machines and humanity, her visionary work illuminates the most pressing challenges of our era. I am both honored and proud that Kim is recognized as a leading voice through this award.”
This year’s jury comprised Mohamed Almusibli, director and chief curator, Kunsthalle Basel; Doryun Chong, artistic director and chief curator, M+, Hong Kong; Sabine Himmelsbach, director, HEK (House of Electronic Arts), Basel; Alfredo Jaar, artist, architect, and filmmaker; and Noam Segal, LG Electronics Associate Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.