The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) plans to hold an exhibition, titled the 2012 Korea Artist Prize, which will serve as a touchstone in Korean contemporary art, between August 31 and November 11 for 73 days at the Gwacheon main building. It will showcase new works of art by four teams of artists (Gimhongsok, MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho, Yeesookyung, and Minouk Lim) who received a Korea Artist Prize.

The 2012 Korea Artist Prize is a new award system operated co-organization by the NMOCA and the SBS Foundation. This system will serve as a bridge for Korean artists to advance into the world art arena by sponsoring artists who demonstrate future potential and vision for Korean contemporary art. It succeeds the spirit of the exhibition, titled Artist of the Year, which was previously held by the NMOCA. The "Korea Artist Prize" system concentrates on discovering and supporting new artists, and is a field-centered, practical art assistance system that responds to the needs of the contemporary art arena.

For the 2012 Korea Artist Prize, the management committee received artist recommendation from a board of ten art world luminaries. The candidates were then reviewed by five international jury, and eventually four recipients were selected as "SBS Foundation sponsored Artists." The selected artists are: Gimhongsok, MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho, Yeesookyung, and Minouk Lim; these artists have firmly established their own art world through their recent active art activities.

Artists who received a "Korea Artist Prize" will present new art ideas that have not been actualized despite spending much time designing for this exhibition. This exhibition consists of four projects that accentuate the individual characteristics of artists. There is not a specific theme for the exhibition, therefore it can be considered as four solo exhibitions that reflect each artist's unique interest. The Review Committee, which selected these artists, assessed the works of art by the awarded artists and stated: "This exhibition will show the artistic world of artists in their 40s who live through contemporary Korea."

The four teams of these artists perceive various social problems through distinctly unique perspectives and transform them into art. Their art may present each artist's personal affairs, or pose questions about the value of art and existence, or suggest that we perceive our current situations from different perspectives. This exhibition will be a prime opportunity for visitors to reflect on life through artwork by the award-winning artists, who disclose multiple layers of life and the present.

The prize finalist will be announced in the end of October.

Through the "Korea Artist Prize," which will continue long into the future, the selected artists will receive motivation to create more art in the short-term and play an important role in constructing the basic infrastructure for cultural art in the future.

Curated by KI, Hey-Kyung