'Hyundai Blue Prize Design 2022' Final Winner: Park Jimin

Curator Jimin Park, winner of the 'Hyundai Blue Prize Design 2022'.
Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 21st that it has selected Ji-min Park as the final winner of the ‘Hyundai Blue Prize Design 2022’.

Now in its second year, the ‘Hyundai Blue Prize Design’ is an award program by Hyundai Motor Company aimed at communicating with the public through design curating exhibitions and nurturing the next generation of design curators. Each year, a theme reflecting the times is prepared to support participants in planning insightful exhibitions.

This year’s theme was 'Shelter Next.' The task was to reinterpret the meaning of rest and propose new shelters for people experiencing mental fatigue and lack of communication in an era of environmental pollution and pandemic.

Starting recruitment last fall, five domestic and international applicants were shortlisted as final candidates. Through an online evaluation, curator Ji-min Park was honored as the final winner.

Ji-min Park, who is pursuing a master's degree in Industrial Design, is a furniture designer and planner based in Seoul. Through the proposal ‘Where Is My Friend’s House?,’ she suggested the possibility that anywhere can be a shelter beyond the physical living space called home, providing visitors with an opportunity to contemplate their own shelters.

The judging panel included design experts such as ▲ Professor Kyung-sun Kim of the Department of Design at Seoul National University ▲ Bora Hong, CEO of the exhibition space and art planning community ‘Factory2’ ▲ Jochen Eisenbrandt, Chief Curator of the German ‘Vitra Design Museum’ ▲ Eric Chen, General Director of the Dutch ‘Het Nieuwe Instituut’.

The judges commented on Ji-min Park, saying, “She understood the purpose of the exhibition well, structured the proposal based on solid research, and her new attempts and efforts in utilizing the theme and method stand out.”

The final winner will receive a prize of 15 million KRW along with the opportunity to exhibit at Hyundai Motorstudio Busan in the second half of next year. Participation fees will also be supported to enable exchange with world-renowned artists at the French design workshop ‘Boisbuchet.’

A Hyundai Motor Company official stated, “Through Hyundai Blue Prize Design, we aim to highlight the value of design closely connected to human life and communicate Hyundai Motor Company’s brand vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’ with the audience,” adding, “We will continue to support the next generation of design curators to express their creativity, thereby contributing to the development of the domestic and international cultural and arts sectors.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.