Maurice Benayoun
New Media Artist, Theorist and Curator
Maurice Benayoun (aka MoBen or 莫奔) (born 29 March 1957 in Mascara, Algeria) is a French pioneer new-media artist and theorist based in Paris and Hong Kong. His work employs various media, including (and often combining) video, immersive virtual reality, the Web, wireless technology, performance, large-scale urban art installations and interactive exhibitions.
His works demonstrate the interdisciplinarity through the integration of art and technology. Various multimedia concepts and paradigms (i.e. integration, interactivity, hypermedia, immersion, collaboration, telematics, net culture etc.) are well represented in his prolific career in the past twenty years.
MoBen’s work has won more than 20 international awards, including the Villa Medicis Hors les Murs, more than four Ars Electronica awards (including the coveted Golden Nica), Siggraph, Imagina, SACD and 4 International Monitor Awards. In 2014, MoBen was nominated for the Prix Ars Electronica Visionary Pioneer of Media Art award.