▲Profile photos of Director Lee Oh-jin (left), winner of the Performance category, and Writer Yoo Shin-ae (right), winner of the Art category
On the 20th, the Doosan Yonkang Foundation (Chairman Park Yong-hyun) held the 14th Doosan Yonkang Arts Awards ceremony at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, and awarded the awards to playwright and director Lee Oh-jin (Performance Division) and artist Yoo Shin-ae (Art Division).
The Doosan Yonkang Foundation will provide a total of 290 million won, including prize money, to the winners. Each winner will receive 30 million won in prize money, and the winners in the Performance Division will receive 150 million won for production costs of new performances, while the winners in the Art Division will receive 80 million won for exhibition costs at the Doosan Gallery, overseas residency, accommodation, and airfare.
The winner in the Performance Division, Lee Oh-jin, began his career as a playwright. Since then, he has presented his own plays as a director with unique stage direction. He said, “I have seen creators I admire win the Doosan Yonkang Arts Awards. I am honored to be able to add my name to it. “I am grateful to have met wonderful colleagues and received a valuable award, so I will continue to work hard,” he said.
Yu Shin-ae, the winner of the art category, is an artist who has presented experimental works in various media such as painting and ceramics, focusing on video installations. In her acceptance speech, Yu said, “I thought I had no connection with domestic institutions. I am grateful that I have gained the courage to see things from the outside through this Doosan Yonkang Art Award.”
Park Yong-hyun, chairman of the Doosan Yonkang Foundation, congratulated the winners and said, “It is the responsibility and duty of the Doosan Yonkang Foundation to support artists who are constantly striving to build unique works and expand their artistic world. I hope that this award will be a strong support to those who will lead our culture and arts in the future.”
The Doosan Yonkang Art Award was established in 2010, the 100th anniversary of Yonkang's birth, to continue the will of Doosan's first chairman, Park Du-byung, who emphasized the importance of talent. It selects and supports young artists under the age of 40 with high growth potential in the performing arts and fine arts fields. As of 2023, a total of 42 artists (teams) in the performing arts and fine arts fields have received the award.