The Hoban Cultural Foundation announced on the 11th that it held the award ceremony for the national young artist art competition '2025 H-EAA: HOBAN-Emerging Artist Awards' (hereinafter referred to as 'H-EAA') on the 10th at the Hoban Atrium in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The award ceremony was attended by more than 100 individuals, including Yoo Hyun-hee, chairperson, Kim Sang-yeol, chairman of the Seoul Shinmun, Kim Seon-kyu, chairman of Hoban Group, and Kim Dae-heon, president of planning at Hoban Group, as well as judges such as Kwon Yeo-hyun, professor at Hongik University, Yoo Jin-sang, professor at Kewon University of Art and Design, and critic Lee Seon-young, along with the award-winning artists and cultural and arts officials.
Since 2017, the Hoban Cultural Foundation has been holding the 'H-EAA' competition annually to nurture emerging artists by supporting programs such as exhibitions, promotions, and expert matching. To date, a total of 69 artists have received support. In this competition, seven artists were finally selected through a portfolio and physical work evaluation, starting from the online application in February. This year, about 830 applicants competed, marking the highest competition rate since the competition's inception.
This year's grand prize was awarded to artist Shin Min-jung for her authentic series that vividly portrays the strong lives of Jeju haenyeo and local narratives through skilled dripping techniques. The excellence award went to artist Na Gwang-ho for capturing a melancholic sentiment based on the texture of oil painting, adding painterly depth to familiar subjects. The selected artist award was given to Go Eun-joo, Kim Gi-tae, Nam Jeong-geun, Park Sang-bin, and Yoon Il-gwon. The Hoban Cultural Foundation awarded a total of 50 million won, including 30 million won for the grand prize and 10 million won for the excellence award.
Yoo Hyun-hee, chairperson of the Hoban Cultural Foundation, noted, "I find this occasion, where we confront the possibilities and passions of young artists, very meaningful," adding, "In the future, the Hoban Cultural Foundation will continuously support and encourage their creative journeys so that the intense thoughts and genuine voices contained in each work can reach more people."
The '2025 H-EAA' selected artist exhibition, which started on the 18th, can be viewed at the Hoban Atrium until August 17. This exhibition presents 57 representative works that embody the unique artistic worlds of the seven selected artists through various expressive techniques such as hyper-realistic painting, ink painting, and installation art, themed 'The possibilities that solid seeds bloom.'