Hong Jin-hwon awarded Korean Artist Prize 2026

What happened: The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art selected Hong Jin-hwon, a former journalist, as winner of the Korean Artist Prize 2026. Key numbers: Prize co-sponsored by MMCA and the SBS Culture Foundation since 2012. Exhibition of all four finalists runs through Dec. 6 at the museum's Seoul branch. Why it matters: Jury member Charmaine Toh of Tate Modern said Hong's work reveals tension between social practice and its representation as images and questions the visual systems through which reality is seen and understood.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art selected Hong Jin-hwon, a former journalist, as winner of the Korean Artist Prize 2026.

Jury member Charmaine Toh of Tate Modern said Hong's work reveals tension between social practice and its representation as images and questions the visual systems through which reality is seen and understood.