Chan Sook Choi, qbit to adam, 2021, video installation, 4 channel video, 16k, color, sound, 33min, loop © MMCA

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) announced on the 14th that Chan Sook Choi has been selected as the winner of the ‘2021 Korea Artist Prize.’ The museum stated, “Choi's work was selected for its exceptional ability to address significant contemporary issues through spectacular installations.”

Regarding Choi's featured work, qbit to adam, the museum explained, “The piece focuses on the land and body that form individual memories and histories, exploring narratives of migration, movement, and community. It provides a multidimensional perspective on displaced people and those left behind.

Starting with an investigation into the history of human labor and material ownership, from past mining practices to contemporary cryptocurrency mining, Choi’s work weaves together grand narratives through diverse locations, events, time, and space, each telling its own story.”
The artwork delves into human desires for land ownership, land as a commodified resource, and the existence of those who are displaced by changing land ownership dynamics. It explores the complex relationships between humans, society, and land.

In 2019, Chan Sook Choi spent three months in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, home to the world’s largest copper mine and the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), the world’s largest radio telescope. On one side, the land is excavated, while on the other, people turn away from the earth to gaze at the sky. Capturing this primordial landscape, Choi constructed her work using four video projections and sound, which are also reflected on a copper-toned surface installed on the exhibition room floor. The museum stated that this installation was designed to provide viewers with a moment of new reflection.

Chan Sook Choi graduated from Chugye University for the Arts in 2001 and later studied Visual Communication, Experimental Media, and Media Art at the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany. Since then, she has been actively working between Seoul and Berlin. The museum noted, “She has consistently explored issues of land ownership, grounding her work in ‘land and territory’ while examining both spiritual and physical migrations.”

The MMCA also shared the jury’s evaluations. Eugene Tan, Director of the National Gallery Singapore, remarked, “Choi elegantly addresses timely topics such as land ownership, which are relevant not only in Asia but globally.” Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, co-artistic directors of the 2021 Gwangju Biennale, praised Choi as “an exceptional artist whose work stands strong on the global stage.”

Choi Eun-ju, Director of the Daegu Art Museum, commented, “It was impressive to see viewers completely immersed and captivated by her work during multiple visits to the exhibition.” Park So-hyun, Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, added, “Choi transcends the boundaries of video art, integrating installations and spatial direction into a cohesive artwork, offering a distinctive experience of contemporary art at its finest.”

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