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Ayoung Kim's Artistic Journey at the Guggenheim

Recently, at a captivating evening at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the renowned Korean artist Ayoung Kim unveiled her latest artistic process, showcasing the blend of innovative technology and art. This event celebrated her recognition as the recipient of the 2025 LG Guggenheim Award, an honor that underscores her contributions to the intersection of artistry and technology.

During the unique program titled The Soft Geometry of Being: An Evening with Ayoung Kim, she shared insights into her creative methodology while utilizing six stunning 77-inch LG OLED evo TVs, dramatically enhancing her presentation and engaging the audience in an immersive experience. The event highlighted Kim's groundbreaking works that integrate AI and virtual reality, showcasing her skill in merging these technological advances with traditional artistic expression.

One of her standout pieces, a video trilogy entitled Delivery Dancer, takes place in a fictional and futuristic version of Seoul. This captivating narrative follows a female delivery driver and her identical double as they navigate a complex web of intertwined realities in a universe where time and space are fluid. Throughout the presentation, Kim drew on her processes for character development within Delivery Dancer, introducing the main characters, Ernest Mo and En Storm. Through LG's cutting-edge technology, these characters appeared to emerge into the real world, demonstrating the powerful synergy between art and advanced display techniques.

Kim articulated her philosophy regarding the often invisible physical phenomena that underpin the advancements in technology. "I brought to the forefront the often-invisible physical realities underlying technology and the human labor that sustains it," she explained after her presentation. The decision to utilize multiple LG OLED evo TVs allowed fictional representations to interact effortlessly with the live event, immersing the audience in a space that evoked a blend of the digital and the physical.

The LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative has fostered collaborations that bridge the worlds of art and technology through investments in artists like Kim. This pioneering initiative not only acknowledges the talent within technology-based art but enriches the Guggenheim's ability to further explore this innovative domain. Ayoung Kim's work exemplifies a fascinating exploration of how technology shapes our understanding of human experience and societal dynamics.

Noam Segal, who assumed the role of LG Electronics Associate Curator at the Guggenheim in 2023, plays an essential part in the initiative by developing programs that encourage dialogue around technology-driven art. By intertwining artistic scholarship and public engagement, the initiative reflects LG and Guggenheim's commitment to driving innovation in how art and technology coalesce.

This prestigious award, established as a part of the LG Guggenheim Initiative, seeks to recognize artists across years for their transformative contributions to technology-centric art. Each recipient, selected by a distinguished international panel, is awarded an unrestricted honorarium of $100,000 to support their artistic endeavors. Kim’s acknowledgment as the 2025 awardee reaffirms her role as a trailblazer in the contemporary art scene. The inaugural LG Guggenheim Award had gone to Stephanie Dinkins, known for her explorations in AI, which set a precedent for recognizing groundbreaking artistic work within technology's expansive framework.

Upcoming programming will continue to highlight the works of acknowledged artists, including Net-Art artist Shu Lea Cheang, who was awarded in 2024 and presented her work at the Guggenheim as well. The path paved by Kim, Dinkins, and Cheang reveals a growing movement among artists who intertwine technology’s capabilities with their creative visions.

For anyone intrigued by the expansive possibilities of art powered by technology, Ayoung Kim’s work is a profound demonstration of how these realms can intersect to deliver compelling narratives that resonate with contemporary audiences. Her exploration serves not only as a showcase of technological prowess but also as a reminder of the importance of human creativity within that technological spectrum.

Visit the Guggenheim’s Initiative page for more details about ongoing projects and future recipients of the awards and initiatives.