Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Korean artist Lee Bul receives prestigious arts award from UAE
UAE Ambassador to Korea Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, third from left, poses with artist Lee Bul, second from left during the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation's (ADMAF) Art @ Embassies initiative in Seoul, Dec. 17. From left are ADMAF founder Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Lee, Al Nuaimi, and GS Energy CEO and Vice Chairman of GS Group Huh Yong-soo. Courtesy of Embassy of UAE in Seoul
By Kim Hyun-bin
The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) honored Korean contemporary artist Lee Bul with the Abu Dhabi Festival Award, recognizing her global influence on contemporary visual art and underscoring growing cultural ties between the United Arab Emirates and Korea.
The award ceremony took place in Seoul on Dec. 17 during a panel discussion organized under ADMAF’s Art @ Embassies initiative. The Abu Dhabi Festival Award is presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to culture and the arts.
ADMAF said the award was conferred under the honorary founding patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE deputy prime minister, minister of foreign affairs and founding honorary patron of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
The honor was presented by Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, UAE ambassador to Korea; Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, founder of ADMAF and founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival; and Huh Yong-soo, CEO of GS Energy and vice chairman of GS Group.
Lee is regarded as one of Korea’s most influential contemporary artists, with an international career spanning more than four decades. Working across sculpture, installation, performance and painting, she is known for blending futuristic imagination with critical social commentary. Her work frequently examines ideas of utopia, technology and power, often using immersive environments and cyborg imagery to challenge conventional views of the body, society and freedom.
ADMAF cited Lee’s sustained contribution to global artistic discourse, noting that her recent projects continue to question the fragility of modern progress. Among them is “The Genesis Facade Commission,” presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2024–2025.
Lee has also participated in ADMAF-led cultural programs. Her work was included in “Layered Medium: We are in Open Circuits,” presented by ADMAF in collaboration with the Seoul Museum of Art as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2025 program at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.
Following the award presentation, ADMAF hosted a panel discussion in Seoul as part of its Art @ Embassies cultural diplomacy initiative. Titled “The Art that Bonds,” the discussion was held in partnership with the UAE Embassy to Korea and featured curator Maya El Khalil and Emirati multimedia conceptual artist Moza Al Matrooshi.
The panel explored how visual culture and artistic exchange can foster mutual understanding and strengthen cross-cultural connections, highlighting art’s role as a bridge between societies and a tool of cultural diplomacy.