GANGNAM DISTRICT, SEOUL (South Korea) FEBRUARY 13, 2020 — The ArtPrize competition returns this fall, and the first artist to be in the running for the $200,000 grand prize awarded by public vote is confirmed. Seaum Shim wowed the judges and audience at last night’s ArtPrize Gangnam Showcase event held in Seoul, South Korea. He won a $25,000 grant to bring a multipart installation which captures the sounds of endangered animals in 3D form  from across the world to DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids for ArtPrize 2020. 

The first artist to confirm participation in ArtPrize 2020 is Seaum Shim — visitors will experience his sculptures that give 3D form to the sounds of endangered animals at DeVos Place Convention Center this fall.

Last night’s ArtPrize Gangnam Showcase was the second of a three-part international event held in collaboration with the Amway Korea Foundation. The final phase will be installing the work for hundreds of thousands of visitors to experience at ArtPrize from September 16-October 4, 2020.

“This really served as a good opportunity in guiding me in moving in the right direction,” said Seaum Shim, speaking through an interpreter. “I studied new media art in Germany, and this opportunity will help expand my work to speak more to society in general.”

Seaum Shim was one of over a hundred artists to show their work at the ArtPrize Gangnam Roadshow in September and October 2019. Drawing inspiration from ArtPrize, the exhibition spanned ten venues on Nonhyeon Furniture Street in Seoul’s Gangnam district, and visitors voted on their favorite artworks. The top ten all received cash prizes, five of which were then selected to present a proposal for ArtPrize 2020 at last night’s ArtPrize Gangnam Showcase event. An adaptation of ArtPrize’s Pitch Night program, the five artists pitched their ideas in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, who then selected Seaum Shim as the winner.

The artist will expand on an ongoing work titled Collection. The installation taps into the human desire to capture and catalogue the natural world by creating small abstract sculptures based on recordings of the sounds produced by endangered animals. The 3D-printed objects are encased in resin and glass jars, and displayed in a way that references biological artifacts in a natural history museum. 

Included among last night’s judges was Eddie Tadlock, Assistant General Manager of ASM Global and organizer of DeVos Place Convention Center’s ArtPrize exhibitions.

“I was really impressed with the caliber of work from all of the artists,” said Tadlock. “I’m looking forward to showing Seaum Shim’s work, because I think his piece speaks volumes to the environment and ecology and all things sustainable, and that’s a big deal in Grand Rapids. I think that will resonate with people in the city.”

ArtPrize 2020 will take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan from September 16 to October 4. Venue registration will be open from March 2 to April 2, and artist registration from April 13 to June 4.