Artist Ryoji Ikeda, winner of the 9th Nam June Paik Prize © Ryoji Ikeda
Nam June Paik Art Center announced that the
Jury of the 9th Nam June Paik Prize has selected Ryoji Ikeda (b. 1966, Japan)
as the winner of the 9th Nam June Paik Prize.
Born in Gifu, Japan, Ikeda is an
internationally acclaimed media artist based in Paris, France, and Kyoto,
Japan. One of Japan’s leading composers and artists, he has explored the
essential characteristics of sound itself and the distinctive qualities of
visuals realized as light, by means of mathematical precision and aesthetics.
His practice convincingly bridges visual
art and sonic art, and he has continued to present sensory and immersive live
performances and installations that elaborately orchestrate sound, physical
phenomena, and mathematical notions.
Ryoji Ikeda, test pattern [nº8], 2015, 8 DLP projectors, 2 computers, 16 speakers, W75 x H12 x D33 m © ACC
Ikeda expressed his gratitude upon
receiving the Prize, stating, “I am deeply honored to receive the Nam June Paik
Prize. I had the privilege of meeting Nam June Paik in his later years, and his
work continues to resonate with the questions behind my own.”
The Nam June Paik Prize is awarded to
artists who have contributed to the development of contemporary art by
realizing the power of art to promote mutual understanding and contribute to
world peace. The prize is awarded biennially, with a solo exhibition by the
recipient held the following year.
The prize aims to reflect on and
disseminate the contemporary significance of Nam June Paik’s artistic practice
alongside today’s artists—an artist who continuously pursued experimental and
creative forms of inquiry while envisioning a society free from conflict.
Ryoji Ikeda, Data-verse 1/2/3, 2019-2020, Installation view of 《Yet, it Moves!》 (Copenhagen Contemporary, 2023). Photo: David Stjemholm © ACC
Established in 2009, the prize was operated
as the “Nam June Paik Art Center Prize” until 2021. Following a revision of the
award system, it was relaunched in 2024 as the “Nam June Paik Prize.”
The first International Art Award in 2009
was jointly awarded to Lee Seung-taek, Eun-Me Ahn, Robert Adrian X, and Ceal
Floyer. The second award was presented to philosopher and sociologist Bruno
Latour.
Subsequent recipients included Doug Aitken
in 2012, Haroon Mirza in 2014, Blast Theory in 2016, Trevor Paglen in 2018, and
CAMP in 2020. The eighth Nam June Paik Prize, awarded in 2024, went to Joan
Jonas.
