2013 Korea Artist Prize
July 19–October 20, 2013
National Museum of Modern
and Contemporary Art, Korea
313 Gwangmyeong-ro Gwacheon-si Gyeonggi-do
427-701 South Korea
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10–18h (last entrance at 17h),
Saturday–Sunday 10–21h (last entrance at 20h)
T 82 2 2188 6114
Co-sponsored by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and SBS Foundation, Korea Artist Prize adopted an award and sponsorship system with the aim to enrich the field of Korean contemporary art. Its first edition last year signaled a successful start, garnering a great deal of attention from media and the public. The second edition will present the works by four candidates of the 2013 award (Sung-Hun Kong, Meekyoung Shin, Haejun Jo, and Yang Ah Ham) at the MMCA Gwacheon for 94 days from July 19 to October 20, 2013. The winner of the prize will be selected through a due evaluation process.
Now in its second year, Korea Artist Prize is a revamped edition of Artist of the Year, an annual exhibition held from the 1990s at the museum. Korea Artist Prize seeks to identify and support talented artists who represent the vast potential and future vision of Korean contemporary art through the works that have significantly contributed to the development and advancement of Korean art. The steering committee of Korea Artist Prize upholds a fair and transparent selection process and aims to provide a practical, meaningful support for its awardees.
For the 2013 Korea Artist Prize, the steering committee received recommendations from the recommendation board composed of ten experts in the local art world. Those recommendations were then carefully reviewed by five judges representing both the domestic and international art community. This process resulted in the selection of four candidates of the prize: Sung-Hun Kong, Meekyoung Shin, Haejun Jo, and Yang Ah Ham. All four artists have been recognized for their devotion to their artistic pursuit and for the lucid logical basis of their oeuvre.
The organization of the exhibition is similar to having the space devoted to four solo exhibitions, with each exhibition hall reflecting the distinct characteristic and interest of each artist. The five judges concurred that “each artist visualizes a solid logic with room for various interpretations that could be readily graspable to the global audience.”
The issues at stake include the threats of anxiety prevalent in our society, the rift between different cultures and the effects of their contact, generational gap and an attempt to reconnect, and the non-sensical structure of our everyday reality. These artists maintain a keen and genuine observation of the sociopolitical issues in Korea. They have successfully managed to approach the subject in diverse artistic media, which ultimately contributed to diversifying and enriching the field of Korean contemporary art.
Each of the four candidates is awarded an ‘SBS Foundation Subsidy’ equivalent to 40 million KRW. The winner of the prize will be selected after the review of works exhibited and comprehensive interviews held during the exhibition period. The final selection will be announced in September, and the winner will be awarded with the benefit of having a documentary film produced on the artist’s oeuvre.
As a co-sponsor of Korea Artist Prize, the MMCA hopes that the annual event will encourage and motivate local artists to delve into their creative visions that could be shared globally. The museum intends to play an integral role in helping the artists share their visions in the local region and beyond.
