Ryoji Ikeda Wins the 9th Nam June Paik Prize: How the Biennial Prize Works, the Five Jurors and a 2027 Solo Exhibition

On September 7, 2026, the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, announced that it would award the 9th Nam June Paik Prize to Ryoji Ikeda. The award ceremony was held at the center the following day, the 8th, and the prize money is 50 million won. Winners of this prize hold a solo exhibition at the center the following year, and Ikeda’s solo exhibition is scheduled for 2027. Its dates had not been announced as of October 23.

The announcement was published by the center on e-flux, an art information website. This article sets out the plans for the solo exhibition that accompanies the prize, the jurors who made the selection, the award ceremony and the origins of the prize.

Solo exhibition in 2027: dates and content not yet announced

The e-flux announcement states only the timing and the place, namely that the solo exhibition will be held at the Nam June Paik Art Center in 2027; it does not give the dates or the works to be shown. As of October 23, there was no information about the exhibition on the top page of the center’s official website either.

The five jurors

The jury consisted of the following five members, chaired by John G. Hanhardt. Titles are as given in the e-flux announcement.

• John G. Hanhardt: curator and art historian (jury chair)

• Sabine Himmelsbach: Director, House of Electronic Arts (HEK)

• Sook-Kyung Lee: Director, Whitworth Art Gallery

• Namhee Park: Director, Nam June Paik Art Center

• Aaron Seeto: Deputy Director, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The September 8 award ceremony and dialogue program

The award ceremony was held at the center on September 8 from 15:00 to 16:00. It was followed, from 16:00 to 17:30, by a dialogue program between Ikeda and Sam Ozer. Sam Ozer is curator-at-large at Canyon New York City and artistic director of TONO Festival Mexico.

A biennial prize funded by Gyeonggi Province, renamed in 2024

The Nam June Paik Prize selects a winner every two years. It honors artists who have contributed to the development of contemporary art, mutual understanding and world peace. It is funded by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and organized by the Nam June Paik Art Center.

Its predecessor was the “Nam June Paik Art Center Prize,” awarded from 2009 to 2021. It was reorganized in 2024 and took its current name. The 2024 winner was Joan Jonas. Major art and design awards in Japan and abroad are introduced in our roundup of 2026 awards, and the history of art using television and video in our explainer on media art.

Ryoji Ikeda’s biography

Born in Gifu in 1966. He is based in Paris and Kyoto (according to the e-flux announcement).

Prize overview

Prize: 9th Nam June Paik Prize
Winner: Ryoji Ikeda
Organizer: Nam June Paik Art Center (Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea)
Funding: Gyeonggi Provincial Government
Prize money: 50 million won
Jury: John G. Hanhardt (chair), Sabine Himmelsbach, Sook-Kyung Lee, Namhee Park, Aaron Seeto
Announcement: September 7, 2026 (e-flux)
Award ceremony: September 8, 2026, 15:00–16:00, Nam June Paik Art Center (10 Paiknamjune-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do)
Solo exhibition: 2027, Nam June Paik Art Center (dates not announced as of October 23, 2026)
Official website: https://njpart.ggcf.kr/

*Information as of October 23, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Ryoji Ikeda, “test pattern (100m version),” 2013 (from a press release by the Nam June Paik Art Center (e-flux))

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on materials released by the Nam June Paik Art Center (September 7, 2026, e-flux) and information on its official website (as of October 23, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team