MMCA-artist award
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| ▲ A poster for the 2025 Korea Artist Prize is seen in this image provided by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on Aug. 28, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Im Young-zoo's "The Late" is seen in this photo provided by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on Aug. 28, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Kim Young-eun, Kim Ji-pyeong, Unmake Lab and Im Young-zoo (from L to R) are shown in these photos provided by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on Feb. 24, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
MMCA-artist award
'Address the Unseen': Korea Artist Prize finalists explore hidden worlds
By Woo Jae-yeon
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) is set to hold an exhibition dedicated to artworks of the four finalists for the 2025 Korea Artist Award.
This year's finalists are Kim Young-eun, who uses sound to explore how politics and history affect what people hear; Kim Ji-pyeong, who challenges old ideas using traditional Korean painting; Im Young-zoo, who examines how modern Koreans view ancient myths and religion through different kinds of art; and the artist collective Unmake Lab, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to explore how technology is changing Korea's society and environment.
The museum said while they exhibit their distinct art world, they are "linked by a common thread" that they "address the unseen -- the concealed or omitted, the marginalized or forgotten layers of the world" through different media and languages.
"They interrogate the politics of representation and engage in critical reflection on the very ways in which we perceive the world," it said.
Kim Young-eun creates art about sound and listening. She explores how sound shapes identity, focusing on history and politics. Her latest work uses recorded memories from immigrants to tell their stories.
Kim Ji-pyeong combines traditional Eastern painting with modern subjects. She paints forgotten people, landscapes and even climate change using old techniques, showing how tradition still lives in the present.
Im Young-zoo's art is about belief. She looks at how belief forms in modern Korea, where old superstitions mix with science and technology. Her main piece, "The Late," is a video installation about life and death that blends the past, present and future.
Lastly, the two-person artist team Unmake Lab uses AI as their main tool. Their work "New-Village" creates a surreal, unpredictable village that reflects real-life uncertainty and questions ideas about a perfectly planned future suggested by AI.
Since 2012, the MMCA has co-sponsored the annual prize with the SBS Culture Foundation to recognize outstanding artists with keen insight into society and art.
Each finalist receives 50 million won (US$36,000) to support their artwork, with the final winner receiving an additional 10 million won.
The exhibition will run from Friday to Feb. 1 next year.
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