The 2025 Young Collectors Council Party transformed the Guggenheim  into a sensory playground celebrating Korean artist Ayoung Kim, the newly minted winner of the LG Guggenheim Award. The moment marked a historic first for Kim–who’s trained in motion graphics and conjures worlds out of AI, VR, and simulation–and a dazzling third year for the Guggenheim’s art-meets-tech initiative.

The night started with a chic dinner inside the Wright Restaurant, where YCC co-chairs, LG executives, and curator royalty toasted Kim’s boundary-pushing practice. Then, the vibe shifted from formal to fantastical. Hundreds of guests flowed into the rotunda for cocktails, cosmic sliders, and a full-somatic takeover crafted by this year’s YCC Artist Collaborator, LaJuné McMillian.

McMillian didn't hold back. Inspired by the idea of a "lavender dream,” the artist–known for weaving motion capture with gaming engines–delivered a full-body experience: scent based activations by MIND GAMES, aura and tarot readings, and a hypnotic, avatar-infused performance that rippled down the Guggenheim’s spiral and exploded on the rotunda stage. The line between physical and digital blurred as dancers and musicians–including Rena Anakwe, RaFia Santana, LAMB, Renaldo Maurice, and more—appeared both live and as digital projections powered by LG OLED tech.

The crowd was curated and camera-ready. Guests included artists like Ilana Savdie, Sarah Morris, and Liz Magic Laser, alongside scene-shifters like Ella Emhoff, Sophia Wilson, and Scout & Tallulah Willis. Co-chairs like Moses Sumney, Tschabalala Self, and Lucas Hoffmann kept things effortlessly cool. Museum leadership, including Naomi Beckwith, Mariët Westermann, and Wendy Fisher, made the rounds. Drinks flowed. So did energy.

And the art? Still the heartbeat. Guests took in Rashid Johnson’s current rotunda exhibition A Poem for Deep Thinkers while dancing beneath it—proof that reflection and release can exist on the same plane.

Proceeds from the evening support the Guggenheim’s contemporary programming, the YCC Art Fund, and the museum’s ongoing efforts to uplift new voices pushing boundaries. As for Kim, she’ll present a public program at the museum on July 1st. Until then, her immersive digital worlds are very much alive in New York.

If this year’s event is any indication, the future is not just virtual, it’s vibrant.