Korean artist Young-jun Tak (b. 1989) has been named the grand prize winner of the 24th SONGEUN Art Award, operated by SONGEUN Art and Cultural Foundation.

Established in 2001, the SONGEUN Art Award is an annual initiative aimed at discovering and supporting talented contemporary Korean artists. A total of 598 artists applied for this year's competition, and after the preliminary round held in February, 20 artists/teams were selected for the final round: Gu Na, Koo Jamyoung, Kim Wonhwa, Noh Sangho, Park Jongyoung, Bae Yoonhwan, Shon Soomin, Song Yehwan, An Yuri, Yaloo, eobchae, Omyo Cho, Ryu Ahyeon, Lee Seung Ae, Lee Hyein, Cho Jaiyoung, Jin Minwook, Choi Jangwon, Chu Mirim, and Young-jun Tak.

After the final round of judging, Young-jun Tak was chosen as the grand prize winner. Tak's work traces the intersection of queer identity, religious beliefs, and specific spatiality, visualizing these structures through video, sculpture, and two-dimensional works.

Tak's third piece in the contemporary dance film series, Love at First Sight on Monday (2024), presented in the ongoing “24th SONGEUN Art Award Exhibition,” transforms the organic structure of orally transmitted transcendent love stories into choreography.

Drawing inspiration from Norwegian writer Lars Mytting’s novel The Bell in the Lake (2019), originally titled The Sister Bells in Norwegian, the film follows a chain of adaptation and re-creation, starting with solo dances created by two female dancers in their late teens based on each parents’ love stories, which then develops to a duet by two male dancers.

As the winner of the grand prize, Tak will receive a cash award of 20 million KRW and be granted a solo exhibition at SONGEUN within three years. Sponsored by the SONGEUN Art and Cultural Foundation and Cartier, two artworks of Tak will also be acquired for SONGEUN (1 piece) and Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) collection (1 piece). Tak will be granted the opportunity to attend the Nanji residency program for one year.

Continuing its mission to discover and nurture young artists, the SONGEUN Art and Cultural Foundation will hold the 25th SONGEUN Art Award this year. The preliminary application will be conducted online in February, with specific dates announced on the SONGEUN website and social media.

The “24th SONGEUN Art Award Exhibition,” showcasing the works of the 20 finalists including Young-jun Tak, will run until February 22.

References

• 제24회 송은미술대상 (The 24th SONGEUN Art Award)

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.