Korean American artist Gala Porras-Kim has been nominated as one of the 2025 MacArthur Fellows, widely known as the “Genius Grant.”
 
The MacArthur Fellowship, established in 1981 by the MacArthur Foundation, is one of the most prestigious awards in the United States. Providing a stipend of $800,000 over five years, the award recognizes individuals across diverse fields—including the arts, sciences, and humanities—for their outstanding creativity and future potential. 

Past recipients of Korean heritage include Jim Yong Kim (2003), former president of the World Bank, as well as professors June Huh (2022) and Yejin Choi (2022).

Through her practice, Gala Porras-Kim seeks to restore the authentic value and context of cultural heritage while critically examining institutional collecting practices and their limitations. Her nomination reaffirms the global significance and impact of her work.

Gala Porras-Kim, a Korean American artist, was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and is currently based in Los Angeles. She serves as a Senior Critic in Sculpture at the Yale School of Art. Porras-Kim participated in the 2017 Whitney Biennial and was named one of the finalists for “Korea Artist Prize” by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in 2023, continuing to actively engage with the Korean art scene. 

Earlier this year, her solo exhibition 《Conditions for holding a natural form》 at Kukje Gallery attracted wide attention, featuring 13 works including a distinctive series of drawings depicting suseok (scholar’s rocks) placed on shelves in the manner of chaekgado (paintings of bookshelves).

References

• 국제갤러리 페이스북 (Kukje Gallery Facebook)
• 매일경제, 한국계 미술작가 갈라 포라스-김, 미국 ‘천재 장학금’ 받았다, 2025.10.09
• 맥아더 재단 (MacArthur Foundation)