Ayoung Kim's video "Delivery Dancer's Sphere" (2022) captures the experience of delivery workers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Seoul, following two female riders navigating the city via app-based systems. Kim shadowed real delivery workers to create the work, which blends documentary footage, anime-style animation, and AI-generated imagery. The video is part of a series that will be featured in Kim's first US solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 in New York, opening this week, and she will also debut a new motion-capture piece at the Performa festival later this month. Kim recently won a $100,000 award from the Guggenheim Museum and LG.
This matters because Kim's work addresses the precarious labor conditions of the "techno-precariat" under digital capitalism, a theme increasingly relevant in contemporary art. Her rising international profile—with acquisitions by Tate and exhibitions at major institutions like M+ and Hamburger Bahnhof—signals a growing recognition of artists who critically engage with technology and labor. The MoMA PS1 solo show and Performa commission mark a significant milestone for Kim, positioning her as a key voice in discussions about AI, data, and social transformation in the art world.