Multimedia artist Im Youngzoo has won the Frieze Seoul Artist Award 2025, creating a new commission titled "Calming Signal" for this year's edition of the fair. The three-channel video installation explores how humans use learned and repeated gestures during times of collective unease, drawing inspiration from Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas's concept of calming signals—instinctual behaviors animals use to de-escalate conflict. Im, born in 1982, works across video, installation, performance, and virtual reality, and has also been shortlisted for the 2025 Korea Artist Prize, with her work currently on view at MMCA Seoul.
The award matters because it provides a South Korean-based artist with a platform to realize a major new commission at a pivotal career moment, supported by Bulgari. Im is the third winner of this prize, following Woo Hannah and Goen Choi, highlighting Frieze Seoul's commitment to elevating local contemporary artists within the global art fair circuit. The recognition also underscores the growing international attention on Korean multimedia and video art.