%20x%20135(H)%20px-03Rc-72dpi%20(2).jpg)
Ayoung Kim Wins 2025 LG Guggenheim Award
By Annabel Preston
Portrait of AYOUNG KIM. Photo by Kanghyuk Lee (snakepool). Courtesy the artist and Gallery Hyundai, Seoul.
On February 24, South Korean artist Ayoung Kim was announced as the recipient of the 2025 LG Guggenheim Award, which recognizes artists who have made pioneering contributions to the field. The prize was conceived as part of the LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative—a five-year collaboration focused on supporting artists who work at the intersection of art and technology.
In her research-based practice, Kim investigates topical issues in contemporary society, particularly the ethical and emotional implications of living in a technology-driven world. While her work spans performance, printmaking, and sculpture, Kim predominantly employs emerging technologies—such as AI, virtual reality, and game simulation—to craft immersive fantasy worlds skilfully interwoven with her research on ancient cosmologies and forgotten technologies, thus forming narratives that transcend time, space, or culture.
In acceptance of the award, Kim said: “As technology advances, human life inevitably becomes more intricate. . .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.”
Naomi Beckwith, deputy director of the Guggenheim in New York, stated in a press release that Kim’s 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. By revealing the convergence of machines and humanity, her visionary work illuminates the most pressing challenges of our era.”
Kim is the third artist to receive the award since its launch in 2023. She will receive an honorarium of USD 100,000 and will feature in an upcoming program at the Guggenheim in New York, further details of which are yet to be announced.
Annabel Preston is an assistant editor at ArtAsiaPacific.
