Jaha Koo has been awarded the International Ibsen Award 2026
We are delighted to share the news that South Korean multidisciplinary artist Jaha Koo, who left a lasting impression with his performance Cuckoo during the 2022 edition of the Alkantara Festival, has been announced as the winner of the International Ibsen Award 2026.
Often described as the "Nobel Prize of Theatre", the International Ibsen Award is the world’s most prestigious accolade in the performing arts. Established by the Norwegian government, the prize honours creators who bring a new artistic dimension to contemporary theatre. At 42, Jaha Koo becomes the youngest winner in the award’s history and the first artist of Asian descent to receive this distinction.
The jury, chaired by Ingrid Lorentzen, praised Koo for a practice that "cuts through ideological noise and speaks directly to our shared human experience". His work, situated at the intersection of theatre, music, and video technology, was recognised for its "innovative and deeply human" approach to complex histories.
For those who joined us at the Alkantara Festival in 2022, this recognition comes as no surprise. In his breakthrough piece, Cuckoo, Koo shared the stage with three hacked electric rice cookers. What began as a humorous, technological dialogue evolved into a poignant reflection on twenty years of Korean history, exploring the loneliness, social isolation, and economic pressures facing a generation.
The Ibsen Award jury highlighted exactly what makes Koo’s work so vital for our time: "Through humour, poetry, and technological ingenuity, Koo opens up reflections on identity, belonging, and the aftereffects of colonial histories." In an increasingly polarised world, the 2026 award criteria emphasised theatre as a "site for assembly" and a space to "inspire what we might not yet know". Jaha Koo’s work embodies this vision, pushing beyond traditional theatrical boundaries to engage audiences who may not have previously felt represented on stage.
Reacting to the news, Koo stated: "I see this prize not only as a recognition of my own work, but also of all artists who move beyond what is traditionally considered theatre."
The award ceremony will take place on 26 September at the National Theatre in Oslo, followed by a special presentation of Cuckoo on the main stage.
Jaha Koo (°1984) is a South Korean theater/performance maker and music composer. His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, all of which include his own music, video, text and installation. His performances are closely interwoven with politics, history and his own personal issues. Since 2014, Koo has been working on his Hamartia Trilogy. This trilogy thematically focuses on how the inescapable past tragically affects our lives today. The first part of the trilogy, Lolling and Rolling, was first presented by Zürcher Theater Spektakel in 2015....
