"As technology advances, human life inevitably becomes more intricate... Neither a techno-determinist nor a techno-pessimist, I have always wanted to comment on the impact of technology in our society by using it," says South Korean artist Ayoung Kim in response to being awarded the LG Guggenheim Award. The annual price is dedicated to creatives working at the intersection of art and technology. 

Kim's approach of combining timely themes with the sophisticated use of emerging and established technologies was one of the reasons she received the $100,000 prize. Naomi Beckwith, the Guggenheim’s deputy director and chief curator, said in a statement: “At its core, Ayoung Kim’s path-breaking work invites viewers not only to marvel at her technical mastery but also to engage with deep questions about time and the human experience in an accelerating digital age.” 

In her 25-minute video installation "Delivery Dancer’s Sphere” that combines 3D animation and live-action footage, she tells the story of gig worker Ernst Mo who is driving through a futuristic-dystopian version of Seoul on a quest to fulfil her duty as an inexhaustible delivery machine controlled by an algorithm called Dreammaster, which forces her to complete more and more orders at the speed of light. Ernst Mo is one of the so-called Ghost Dancers who defy the physical and spatial boundaries to complete an endless stream of orders until she meets a mysterious rider who challenges her beliefs of labor and time. The piece raises critical questions about the gig-economy and self-optimization in a productivity-driven digital age. 

Many Worlds Over, Ayoung Kim’s solo exhibition, will run from February 28 to July 2025 at Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof, showcasing a diverse range of works incorporating AI, gaming, video, and sculpture. This fall from November 6, 2025 to March 16, 2026 Ayoung Kim’s pieces will be also be on view at New York's MoMA PS 1 in Queens.