NEW YORK, NY.- The Guggenheim New York and LG announced Ayoung Kim as the 2025 LG Guggenheim Award recipient. Kim is the third artist to be recognized as part of the LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative, a five-year, multifaceted collaboration designed to research, honor, and promote artists working at the intersection of art and technology. Selected by an international jury of leaders in contemporary art, Kim will receive an unrestricted honorarium of $100,000 in celebration of her groundbreaking contributions to this field.

“At its core, Ayoung Kim’s pathbreaking 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. I am both honored and proud that Kim is recognized as a leading voice through this award,” states Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator at the Guggenheim New York.

“Ayoung Kim’s work, in which technology is both a subject matter and a medium, resonates with LG’s engagement with technology as we advance innovations with considerations to human experiences and emotions. LG congratulates Ayoung Kim on this timely and well-deserved recognition and looks forward to witnessing her continued use of cutting-edge technologies to expand the scope of contemporary art,” states Seol Park, Head of Brand at LG Corp.

Trained in motion graphics and lens-based media, Kim creates fantastical, meticulously crafted virtual environments using emerging technologies. Her work builds on classical cinematic tropes, combining live action, motion capture and animation software, game engines, and image-generation technologies. She explores virtual reality and live simulation alongside more traditional mediums like performance, sculpture, and printmaking.

Inspired by Webtoon aesthetics and the concept of GL (Girls’ Love) in Korean subculture, Kim transforms firsthand research and documentary fieldwork into immersive speculative worlds. Her work ranges from in-depth historical research on ancient cosmologies to intimate studies of the daily lives of algorithmically managed service workers and refugees, weaving vast, epic narratives that cross time, space, cultures, and languages. A master of storytelling and worldbuilding, Kim advocates for AI (artificial intelligence) literacy and a deeper understanding of the boundary between humans and machines, reflecting her profound interest in particle science, quantum realities, and the interconnected possibilities of multiple worlds. Her forward-thinking, inventive practice pushes the boundaries of art and technology, offering a vision of the future shaped by both.

“As technology advances, human life inevitably becomes more intricate. What artists can do with technology is explore the uncertain possibilities it may conceal and deploy it in the most intuitive way. 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. I express my heartfelt thanks to LG and the Guggenheim Museum for their visionary commitment to supporting artists who foster technological discourse,” states 2025 LG Guggenheim Award recipient Ayoung Kim.

Ayoung Kim (b. 1979, Seoul) has presented her work at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2025); ACMI, Melbourne (2024); M+, Hong Kong (2024); the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2024); HEK (House of Electronic Arts), Basel (2023); the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul (2023); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2016); and the Berlin International Film Festival (2020). She has participated in major international shows, including the Sharjah Biennial (2023), Gwangju Biennial (2018), and Venice Biennale (2015).

Kim has received the ACC Future Prize, National Asian Culture Center, Gwangju, Korea (2024); the Golden Nica Award, Prix Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria (2023); and the British Institution Award, Royal Academy of Arts, London (2010). Her work is in the collections of Frac Lorraine, Metz, France; Kadist Foundation; Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul; National Museum of Art, Osaka; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul; and Tate, London; among many others. She has an upcoming solo show at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, opening February 28, 2025.

This year’s jury was comprised of Mohamed Almusibli, Director and Chief Curator, Kunsthalle Basel; Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+, Hong Kong; Sabine Himmelsbach, Director, HEK (House of Electronic Arts), Basel; Alfredo Jaar, artist, architect, and filmmaker; and Noam Segal, LG Electronics Associate Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Jury Statement

“The work of Ayoung Kim represents a paradigm shift in how art can engage with emerging technologies, fusing traditional cinematic and graphic tropes with new image-making techniques. Her work offers transformative perspectives on how humanity interacts with and understands these new tools. The artist’s seamless blend of traditional and cutting-edge methods—melding performance, virtual environments, gaming engines, and printmaking—demonstrates her ability to bridge seemingly disparate worlds into cohesive, thought-provoking pieces. By integrating elements from cultural narratives, historical research, and advanced technological frameworks, Kim redefines the role of an artist as a connector between social legacies, fostering new dialogues in art and technology.

Kim’s exploration of the human condition in her works transcends conventional representations, portraying humanity as an evolving intersection of physicality and data under algorithmic governance. Her approach raises essential questions about the ethical and emotional implications of living in a technology-driven world, offering audiences opportunities for both reflection and discovery. Kim’s artistic language demonstrates a remarkable balance between meticulous craftsmanship and experimental boldness, ensuring her work resonates across diverse audiences and contexts. The jury recognizes Kim to be a pioneering, trailblazing artist of her time.”