Artist Jun Hye-joo wins 22nd Songeun Art Award

Jun Hye-joo was selected as the winner of the Songeun Art Award for her installation work "Hummer," which manifests our daily exposure to war, the Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation announced Saturday.

Jun was among 20 artists shortlisted for the 22nd edition of one of the most prestigious art awards in South Korea. The shortlisted artists were selected from a pool of 503 under consideration, according to the Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation, a private cultural foundation established in 1989. The art award was inaugurated in 2001.

Jun’s installation work titled “Hummer” resonates today, suggesting how military weapon technology is becoming prevalent in our daily lives, unbeknownst to us. The artist compares the phenomenon with floating pollen in the air.

Jun has attempted to reveal that people easily forget about the influence of certain subjects as they slowly permeate around us. She collects materials according to a specific theme to explore phenomena that are widely neglected in everyday life.

The exhibition for the 22nd Songeun Art Award shows works by the 20 shortlisted artists at Songeun Art Space in Gangnam, southern Seoul, through Feb. 18, except for Sundays.

The winner of the grand prize is awarded 20 million won ($16,200) and granted a solo exhibition at Songeun Art Space, located at the newly built building run by the cultural foundation in southern Seoul. Works by the prize-winning artist also are added to collections at the Seoul Museum of Art and the cultural foundation funded by Cartier Korea.

All 20 shortlisted artists are qualified to apply for a residency program run by the Delfina Foundation, a London-based nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating artistic exchange.

Founded by the late Yoo Sung-yeon, who also founded energy company ST International in 1962 and was once an aspiring artist, the Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation supports emerging Korean artists.

Previous winners of the annual art award include Kwon Ah-ram, Kim Joon and Kim Young-eun.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)