Open Call: Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 for Emerging Curators
By Hyundai Blue Prize+
*Presented by Hyundai Blue Prize+
Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 Open Call Poster. Courtesy Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
Open Call: Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 for Emerging Curators
Application deadline: June 8, 2025, 11:59pm CST (GMT+8)
Hyundai Motor Company announces the Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 open call, welcoming exhibition proposals for Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing from emerging curators worldwide engaged with the context of Asia. Established as a laboratory for the evolving role of curators, Hyundai Blue Prize+ invites curators to explore the most pressing contemporary issues, in connection with the contexts of Asia, by pursuing boundless perspectives. In today’s ever-changing landscape, curators play a crucial role in examining contemporary cultural, sociopolitical, and technological transformations, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and shaping critical discourse.
Applicants will need to submit a curatorial statement outlining the exhibition, a proposed list of artworks, a preliminary exhibition design, a budget plan, as well as a framework for public programs linked to the exhibition. The proposed exhibition should be designed for the gallery space on the second floor of Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing with the consideration of the exhibition being presented for at least 5-6 months. Applications are open to individual curators or curatorial collectives, and the application deadline is June 8, 2025.
Exterior of Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing. Courtesy Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
“As curatorial practices evolve to reflect contemporary shifts, Hyundai Blue Prize+ serves as a laboratory for curators to challenge conventions and embrace diverse perspectives,” said DooEun Choi, Art Director of Hyundai Motor Company. “We look forward to witnessing how emerging curators address critical issues and broaden meaningful dialogues across disciplines and communities.”
Initiated in 2017 by Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Blue Prize has previously supported emerging curators through Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech in China and Hyundai Blue Prize Design in Korea. In 2025, the initiative evolves into Hyundai Blue Prize+, expanding its scope to transcend boundaries, cultivate interdisciplinary research, and foster transcultural conversations.
Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 will be led by an international jury panel including Jochen Eisenbrand, Chief Curator, Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein); Carol K. Huh, Associate Curator of Contemporary Asian Art, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.); Frances Morris, former Director of Tate Modern (London) and Distinguished Visiting Professor, Ewha Womans University (Seoul); Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art, Whitney Museum of American Art (New York); and Philip Tinari, Director, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing).
Installation View of "Metamorphic Ecosphere" at Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023. Courtesy Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
Installation View of "The Animal Farm Simulator" at Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023. Courtesy Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
Following the open call, five curators or curatorial collectives will be selected as shortlisted finalists and will each receive one-on-one mentorship with the members of the jury panel, a research tour in China, and a 4,000 USD grant to develop a final exhibition proposal. Two final awardees from this shortlist will present their exhibition at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing with up to 800,000 RMB (approximately 110,000 USD) for exhibition production and implementation, as well as additional support for on-site operations and exhibition marketing and communications.
The application is open now through June 8, 2025, 11:59pm CST (GMT+8).
For more information about Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 and details on how to apply and eligibility requirements, please visit the official Hyundai Blue Prize+ website.
About Hyundai Motor’s Art Projects
For over a decade, Hyundai Motor Company has deepened its partnerships with global museums and cultural organizations, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), Tate, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Most recently, Hyundai Motor announced Hyundai Translocal Series, a new partnership initiative that roots itself in fostering dialogues and exchanges among art institutions in Korea and across the globe. Hyundai Motor’s own art initiatives include open-call programs such as the VH AWARD, Hyundai Blue Prize+, and Artlab Editorial, a digital platform dedicated to art writing by transnational voices. Our ongoing collaborations embrace the complexities of the cultural landscape by exploring new ideas and perspectives within and beyond the art ecosystem.
Visit artlab.hyundai.com or follow @hyundai.artlab #HyundaiArtlab to learn more about our partnerships and programs.
