Published : Dec. 7, 2016 - 17:06
Artist group Blast Theory has won the 2016 Nam June Paik Art Center Prize, the art institution announced Wednesday.
The UK-based group, formed in 1991 by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, uses new forms of performance and technology that engage audiences both online and offline through digital broadcasts and live performances.
The group is known for its experimental and interdisciplinary works such as “Operation Black Antler,” a 2016 live performance inviting audiences to participate in a fictional top-secret governmental spy mission; and the 2015 smartphone app “Karen,” which communicates with users through psychological profiling technology.
Artist group Blast Theory (Nam June Paik Art Center-Andrew Testa)
In awarding the prize, Nam June Paik Art Center recognized the group’s work in expanding the horizon of interactive art, the art center said in a statement.
The annual prize, established in 2009, celebrates artists who, like late media artist Nam June Paik, experiment with diverse forms of art and technology.
Art Center Nabi’s director Roh So-yeong, who led the jury panel, praised the artist group as “the UK’s contemporary media poet” for its works that “explore familiar ideas like the self, memory, relationships through new media.”
The award ceremony will take place on Feb. 2, 2017 at the Nam June Paik Art Center, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)