Yang Jung-uk has been selected as the recipient of the Korea Artist Prize 2024 by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA), from a shortlist of four artists. He will receive a prize of 10 million won (£5,500 GBP) in addition to the 50 million won (£27,000 GBP) granted to each finalist. The other finalists were Hayoun Kwon, Jane Jin Kaisen and Jiyoung Yoon.
The judging committee highlighted Yang’s visual artistry, innovative interpretation of technology and the wide resonance of his work. Yang ‘renders the most human of worlds by combining exceedingly simple and ordinary images of life with beautiful dreamscapes’, said Kim Sunghee, director of the MMCA.
Born in Seoul, Yang Jung-uk is a visual artist whose installations and kinetic sculptures tell stories that reflect universal human sentiments among the standardisation of contemporary society.
The Korea Artist Prize, founded in 2012, is co-organised by the MMCA and the SBS foundation. Four visual artists are selected each year for their significant contribution to Korean contemporary art and awarded 50 million won to support the creation of new works and an exhibition at the MMCA. A second-round evaluation is conducted based on the exhibition to select the final winner.
The Korea Artist Prize 2024 Exhibition is on view at the MMCA through 23 March.
