Korean contemporary artist Jeamin Cha (b. 1986), who works with moving images, has been selected as the final recipient of the 21st Hermès Foundation Missulsang.
 
Established in 2000 by the Fondation d'entreprise Hermes, the Hermès Foundation Missulsang was created to support emerging artists who will play a pivotal role in the Korean art scene. Since 2016, the award has shifted to a biennial format, selecting one final laureate each edition. Previous recipients include Heecheon Kim (2024), Sungsil Ryu (2022), Sojung Jun (2020), and Min Oh (2018).
 
The winner receives a prize of 30 million KRW, along with support for the production and exhibition of new work. In addition, the artist is offered the opportunity to participate in a research program that facilitates close exchange with the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès in Paris and the broader European art community.
 
The jury for the 21st Hermès Foundation Missulsang comprised five Korean and international experts: former Busan Museum of Art director Ki Hye-kyung; Binna Choi, Artistic Director of the Korean Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale; Isabelle Bertolotti, Director of macLYON; and Reiko Setsuda, Art Director of Maison Hermès Le Forum in Tokyo, among others.

Based in Seoul, Jeamin Cha explores the relationship between the individual and society by intersecting performance, video, and installation, continually reflecting on how art might intervene in this dynamic. In particular, she pays close attention to the voices of those positioned at the margins of the vast systems that structure contemporary society, translating them into the language of art.
 
Regarding her practice, the jury commented that “through the slow process of listening to the voices of others and building relationships, she has renewed modes of representation,” adding that “by employing the form of the essay film, she calls attention to human dignity.”

Cha is currently a professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Korea National University of Arts and has continued her international activities by presenting her work at major institutions in Korea and abroad, including Tate Modern (London, 2023), the 61st New York Film Festival (New York, 2023), Singapore Art Museum (Singapore, 2020), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (Seoul, 2021).
 
In conjunction with this award, Cha’s solo exhibition is scheduled to be held in May 2027 as the inaugural exhibition of Atelier Hermès, located on the basement level of Maison Dosan, which will reopen following renovations.

References

• 차재민, Jeamin Cha (Artist Website)
• 에르메스 재단, 에르메스 미술상 (Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, Hermès Foundation Missulsang)
• 뉴시스, 제21회 에르메스 재단 미술상 최종 수상자에 차재민 작가 선정, 2026.03.03