SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) said Thursday it has selected Hong Jin-hwon as the winner of the Korean Artist Prize 2026.
A former journalist, Hong has used photography, video, web programming, as well as other forms of media, to probe the social and political power relations embedded within images, according to the MMCA.
Hong's recent work, "The Highest Form of the Image Is Armed Struggle," examines the language of past revolutions with scenes of modern rallies and the process through which arenas of resistance are transformed into images that can be anticipated and controlled.
Korean contemporary artist Hong Jin-hwon is shown in this photo provided by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Charmaine Toh, acting head of curatorial at Tate Modern, who was one of the six-member jury, said Hong's work "reveals the tension between social practice and the process through which it is represented as images and questions the visual systems through which we see and understand reality."
Since 2012, the national art museum has co-sponsored the Korean Artist Prize with the SBS Culture Foundation to recognize outstanding artists with keen insight into society and art.
An MMCA exhibition featuring works by all four finalists for the annual prize -- Hong, Lee Hai Min Sun, Lee Jung-woo and Jeon Hyun-sun, runs through Dec. 6 at the museum's Seoul branch.
This photo, provided by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, shows Hong Jin-hwon's work, "The Highest Form of the Image Is Armed Struggle," on view. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)