L G G u g g e n h e i m A w a r d
The multi-year initiative establishes the LG Guggenheim Award, the flagship program of the LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative, which recognizes one artist annually for their groundbreaking achievements in technology-based art. Administered by
the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the award is juried by an international panel of distinguished museum directors, curators, scholars, and other arts professionals, with the selected artist receiving an unrestricted honorarium of $100,000.
The Guggenheim New York and LG proudly announce Ayoung Kim as the 2025 LG Guggenheim Award recipient. Two additional artists will be recognized through 2027.
The first LG Guggenheim Award in 2023 went to Stephanie Dinkins, and the second in 2024 went to Shu Lea Cheang.
2025 Award Recipient
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), 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.
Major Works
Jury
"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."
- Excerpt from the Jury’s comments
News
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Ayoung Kim’s Technophilia
ArtReview, 2025.03.23
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‘Trailblazing’ Digital Artist Ayoung Kim Wins 2025 LG Guggenheim Award
ocula, 2025-02-25
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Ayoung Kim Wins 2025 LG Guggenheim Award
ArtAsiaPacific, 2025-02-26
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Seoul Artist Ayoung Kim Wins Guggenheim LG Award
art-insider, 2025-02-25
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Ayoung Kim, builder of vivid digital worlds, wins $100,000 LG Guggenheim Award
theartnewspaper., 2025-02-24
Physical Award
In conceptualizing the physical award, we drew inspiration from digital zero and one — the elemental foundation of information science and computing. Just as this profoundly simple construct made possible technological wonders such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence, in this design the digits "1" and "0" are captured in midst of active interaction, anticipating new and unexpected artforms that digital technology can bring to the art of the Future.Initiative
The LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative is a five-year, multifaceted collaboration designed to research, honor, and promote artists working at the intersection of art and technology. Unique in its areas of concentration and approach, the initiative is an unprecedented investment in technology as an artistic medium. It will enable the Guggenheim to broaden its investigations into this innovative field, providing essential support to the visionary artists who inspire new understandings of how technology shapes, and is shaped by, society. Through a sustained Global Partnership in support of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, LG aims to help usher in a new wave of digital creativity, combining cutting-edge solutions with the unmatched artistic sensibilities of the Guggenheim.