South African artist Francois Knoetze has been honored with the prestigious 2023 SeMA-HANA Media Art Award, announced by the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) during the 12th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, THIS TOO, IS A MAP.
Knoetze’s award-winning installation, titled “Core Dump” (2018-2019), features towering structures constructed from e-waste components such as circuit boards, wires, and plastic housing. The accompanying videos are a mosaic of found footage, performance documentation, and recorded interviews, capturing glimpses of various global locations, including Kinshasa, Shenzhen, New York, and Dakar.
Exploring the intricate connections between digital technology, cybernetics, colonialism, and the concept of a Non-Aligned Humanist Utopia, Knoetze’s work delves into the historical, economic, cultural, and political layers of contemporary technological infrastructures.
Jury chair Hee-young Kim, a professor at Kookmin University, praised Knoetze’s multidimensional exploration, stating, “Knoetze’s work resonates with the aesthetics of this Biennale’s non-territorial mapping, examining the diverse backgrounds that shape today’s technological landscapes.”
Eunju Choi, General Director of SeMA and a juror for the award, emphasized the thought-provoking nature of Knoetze’s installation, noting, “The reuse of e-waste in the artwork not only addresses issues of extraction and advanced capitalism but also highlights the interconnectedness and responsibilities of all entities in our world, revealing the fundamental uncertainty of our lives.”
Francois Knoetze’s artistic contributions have been showcased at renowned events and institutions, including the Dakar Biennale, Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The SeMA-HANA Media Art Award, recognizing outstanding achievements in media art, has previously been awarded to notable artists such as Hao Jingban and Eisa Jocson (2021), Kearn-Hyung Ahn (2018), Korakrit Arunanondchai and Christine Sun Kim (2016), and Eric Baudelaire (2014).
