Hyundai Motor Group Announces Grand Prix Recipient and Exhibitions of the 6th VH AWARD
- Hyundai Motor Group premieres five commissioned artworks of the 6th VH AWARD screening at HEK (House of Electronic Arts) during the week of Art Basel
- Artist Wendi Yan was awarded the Grand Prix for Dream of Walnut Palaces, a computer-generated imagery film exploring knowledge exchange between Asia and Europe in the 18th century
- The 6th VH AWARD exhibition will be held in Korea, China, Austria, and Singapore, exploring transcultural and transhistorical perspectives
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Hyundai Motor Group presented five newly commissioned artworks of the 6th VH AWARD, including the Grand Prix recipient, at the premiere screening in Basel on June 17 during the Art Basel week, in partnership with HEK (House of Electronic Arts).
Wendi Yan was announced as the Grand Prix recipient for Dream of Walnut Palaces and received an additional grant of $25,000. This artwork is a computer-generated imagery film reimagining knowledge exchange between Asia and Europe in the 18th century. Exploring the psyche of a fictional Daoist in a Paris lab, it addresses the East-West encounter of epistemic visuality and proposes an alternative to techno-Orientalism.
Left: The 6th VH AWARD Presentation at HEK (House of Electronic Arts). Image courtesy of HEK, Photo: Franz Wamhof. Right: Still Image: Wendi Yan, Dream of Walnut Palaces (2025)
Yan’s work was commended by the jury for its rigorous research and diasporic lens, presenting an alternative fiction through historically informed speculative worldbuilding and sophisticated use of technology. The jury comprised Christl Baur, Head of Ars Electronica Festival; Sabine Himmelsbach, Director of HEK (House of Electronic Arts); Martin Honzik, Curator and Artist; Sook-Kyung Lee, Director of The Whitworth; and Roderick Schrock, Curator and Executive Director of Eyebeam.
The VH AWARD evolved as a distinctive platform for exploring transcultural and transhistorical perspectives in the ever-changing landscape of Asia. The finalists for the 6th VH AWARD invite us to reflect on the emerging context of Asia through the lens of humans and machines, past and future, reality and virtuality, and individual and collective identities.
New artworks explore the complexities of contemporary society
On June 17, the five artists of the 6th VH AWARD – Lêna Bùi, HUDA x MUNGOMERY, Tianyi Sun & Fiel Guhit, Wendi Yan, and Inhwa Yeom – had a panel discussion with the jury, delving deeply into their artworks. Their new commissioned works explore the complexities of contemporary society, triggering new perspectives on history, mythology, identity, and technology.
The 6th VH AWARD starts global exhibitions
The 6th VH AWARD begins its global outreach with upcoming exhibitions at the Vision Hall of Hyundai Motor Group University, Mabuk Campus in Yongin, South Korea, and Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing, China, both opening on June 18, followed by a screening event and public program at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, in September, and another exhibition during Singapore Art Week 2026 in collaboration with the National Arts Council Singapore.
Initiated in 2016, the VH AWARD has been discovering and cultivating emerging media artists who engage with the context of Asia and push the boundaries of audiovisual artworks to reflect on how we understand ourselves and one another in relation to the past, present, and future. The 7th VH AWARD will start an open call in the first half of 2026.
As part of its commitment to the arts, Hyundai Motor Group has established long-term partnerships with global art institutions and has supported artists and curators through open calls and other initiatives since 2014.
Pictured above: The 6th VH AWARD Presentation at Hyundai Motor Group Vision Hall. Image courtesy of VH AWARD, Hyundai Motor Group. Photo: sonongji
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