ACC NEXT Emerging Asian Artists 2027

The National Asian Culture Center (ACC) is an international institution for artistic creation, production, and cultural exchange, where Asian arts and culture meet innovative ideas and values to create new, forward-looking work. ACC NEXT Emerging Asian Artists seeks out creative work by emerging artists from Asia with strong potential and supports them in exhibiting their work. It looks for bold, experimental ideas throughout Asia, from countries that have already engaged with ACC to places where the center has yet to build connections. We invite artists to submit works that envision the future at the intersection of art and technology and reveal their potential.

Overview

• (Field) Art & Technology
• Interactive installations (physical computing, sensor-based); generative video and image (code- and algorithm-based); kinetic and robotic art; immersive and extended reality (XR); other
• Works that have not previously been presented in another exhibition, or re-created works
• (Theme) Prototype

A prototype, an initial or experimental model, is a means of bringing an idea into reality through technical experimentation and testing. It is also a first step toward engaging with its surrounding environment in practice and a point of departure for innovation. The 2027 edition of ACC NEXT Emerging Asian Artists provides a platform to bring the imagination of emerging Asian artists to the fore, support their potential, and explore possibilities for expansion. Through works that hold possibilities poised for activation, the exhibition redefines and explores the prototype not as something unfinished, but as an original form that distills essential value.

• (Number of Participants) Approximately 10 individuals/teams
• (Exhibition Venue) ACC Creation Space 5
• (Exhibition Period) April 2 (Fri)–August 22 (Sun), 2027 (tentative)

Support and Participation Requirements

• (Support): Artist Fee KRW 3,000,000 (per work); Installation and Materials Budget up to KRW 2,000,000 (per work; amount to be determined in consultation with ACC); Travel Support: international airfare for one round trip (for overseas residents), domestic transportation fare for one round trip (based on standard high-speed rail fare); Accommodation: Asia Plex Studio (tentative)

• For teams, the "artist fee" and "installation and materials budget" will be paid to the team leader.

• For teams, travel support and accommodation will be provided to the team leader only.

• Use of ACC-owned exhibition equipment can be arranged in consultation with ACC after selection.

• Artwork transportation arrangements will be finalized in consultation with ACC after selection.

• The amount provided for installation and materials may vary depending on the work.

• International airfare will be provided to non-Korean nationals residing abroad and to Korean nationals who, as of the announcement date, have resided abroad for at least one year.

• (Additional Support): An opportunity to participate in the 2027 ACC CREATORS Residency will be offered. One artist or team will be selected through an artist pitch review, with final participation confirmed upon submission of a residency project proposal.

• (Participation Requirements): Participation in accompanying programs, including the exhibition opening and artist pitch.

Important Notes

• Applicants may be disqualified from review or selection, or have their selection revoked, in any of the following cases: required application materials are incomplete, or the submission contains intentional omissions or false information; the applicant has misappropriated another person's ideas or infringed intellectual property rights.
• Selected applicants must enter into a separate agreement and comply with all requirements related to the exhibition.

Applications will be assessed based on the submitted materials, considering the suitability of the work in terms of creativity, experimental approach, feasibility of presentation in the exhibition, and operational stability.

The selection process is: review of submitted materials, followed by final selection. Application review takes place in November 2026, with final selections announced on November 30, 2026. This schedule is subject to change depending on the number of applications received and the progress of the review process. Results will be posted on the ACC website.