Installation view of Yang Jung-uk's "Someone I Know, in His Garden I've Never Seen" (2024) / Courtesy of MMCA

Artist Yang Jung-uk / Courtesy of MMCA

Artist Yang Jung-uk, whose intricately moving assemblages evoke deeply human tales of emotion and connection, has been named the winner of the Korea Artist Prize 2024, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) announced Thursday.

Yang's mesmerizing kinetic sculptures — crafted from wood, motors, lamps, thread, steel and repurposed everyday materials — endlessly perform repetitive actions, serving as poetic stand-ins for human experiences drawn from his own life and those around him.

In “Someone I Know, in His Garden I've Never Seen,” the artist weaves together his wife's quiet devotion to her small vegetable plot with a short story he wrote about a son reminiscing about his late father through a backyard garden.

Meanwhile, “A Cherishing Heart” encapsulates the silent exchange between Yang and his estranged father over a meal at his grandfather's funeral.

The jury commended Yang's motorized installations for their sheer visual artistry, the novelty of his approach in reinterpreting technology through a humanistic lens and the profound resonance of his piece, which speaks to everyday experiences rather than grand narratives, according to the museum.

Since 2012, the annual Korea Artist Prize, co-organized by the MMCA and the SBS Foundation, has championed promising and mid-career creatives by drawing up a shortlist of four individuals or teams who bring fresh visions to contemporary Korean art.

Each shortlisted artist receives a 50 million won ($34,500) grant to develop new works for the exhibition. Yang will receive an additional 10 million won in recognition of his win.

The 2024 finalists were Yang, Kwon Ha-youn, Yoon Ji-young and Jane Jin Kaisen.

The exhibition featuring their works runs through March 23 at the MMCA's Seoul branch.