Video Artist Kwak Sojin to Become the First Recipient of the Sisley Award for Young Creation in Korea

In 2019, Trois Cinq Friedland, a cultural foundation led by the French cosmetics company Sisley, partnered with the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris to launch the groundbreaking art award titled the “Sisley Award for Young Creation.”


After its success in France, the Sisley Foundation, inspired by the dynamic fine arts scene in Korea, decided to highlight the potential of young emerging talents in the country and support graduates from the School of Visual Arts at K-Arts. As a result, the Sisley Award for Young Creation Korea was introduced in November 2024.

In the first round of screenings, Prof. Nam Hwayeon and Prof. Jun Sojung from the Department of Fine Arts served as judges, selecting eight candidates. The final evaluation, conducted by a panel of 10 international visual arts experts, took place on November 20, 2024, in the lounge at the School of Visual Arts on the K-Arts campus. After thorough and fair deliberations, Kwak Sojin was selected as the winner, earning high praise from the panel.

Kwak began her career as a documentary filmmaker after graduating from the Department of Filmmaking at the School of Film, TV & Multimedia. Since 2020, she has focused on video art, creating works that combine in-depth on-site research with performative filming methods. Kwak also incorporates performances using objects as part of her artistic process.

The winner of the Sisley Award receives a cash prize of 7.5 million KRW (approximately 5,000 euros), as well as the opportunity to hold an exhibition in Seoul during the first half of 2025, sponsored by the Sisley Foundation.