Deutsche Telekom and Kunstmuseum Bonn present the Human AI Art Award

• Artist Christopher Kulendran Thomas wins Human AI Art Award 2026
• Pioneering work at the intersection of art and technology recognized
• Immersive installation in the Human AI Art Space in front of the Kunstmuseum Bonn

Deutsche Telekom and the Kunstmuseum Bonn are awarding the Human AI Art Award for the third time, which they jointly launched in 2024. This year's winner is the artist of Tamil descent, Christopher Kulendran Thomas. The award ceremony on June 24th, 2026 will also mark the opening of the nearly three-month exhibition in the Human AI Art Space in front of the Kunstmuseum Bonn. It will feature his work Peace Core, 2026 as a site-specific immersive installation. The Human AI Art Award recognizes artists who work at the intersection of visual art and cutting-edge technology, particularly artificial intelligence, and who are pioneers in this field.

Christopher Kulendran Thomas: "The distinction between the dual fictions of human and AI is something that all my work over the past decade has engaged with and I'd like to thank the jury - as well as Deutsche Telekom and the Kunstmuseum Bonn - for the chance to spatially rethink one of my installations and make it freely accessible to the public this summer in Bonn."

Exhibition at the Human AI Art Space

For the 2026 Human AI Art Award, Christopher Kulendran Thomas has adapted his work "Peace Core" into an immersive installation, exploring political and cultural narratives and drawing a connection from the geopolitical tipping point to the TikTok algorithm. The multi-channel work displays US television programs in the moments leading up to the attacks of September 11, 2001. An AI algorithm endlessly prioritizes and shuffles these clips, thus preserving the moment before the War on Terror, which ultimately led to the crushing of the Tamil independence movement by the Sri Lankan government. The work raises questions about Pax Americana and the role of technology in the production and preservation of culture and identity.

The exhibition opens on June 24th at 7 pm in the Human AI Art Space, specially designed for the prize, in front of the Kunstmuseum Bonn. The prize winner, Christopher Kulendran Thomas, will be present for the award ceremony and opening. Admission on opening day is free; no registration is required. The design of the Human AI Art Space is by Meiré und Meiré, Cologne.

Exceptional artistic position

Deutsche Telekom and Kunstmuseum Bonn are continuing their successful collaboration with this extraordinary artistic presentation. "As Deutsche Telekom, we put great emphasis on a responsible and ethically reflective approach to modern technologies. We consciously consider its societal impact," says Telekom CEO Tim Höttges. "Against this backdrop, we expressly support the artistic exploration of Artificial Intelligence as a bridge between technology and everyday life. Art can make abstract developments emotionally tangible. At the same time, it opens up spaces for reflection and dialogue. Above all, this is what defines their strength and their social value."

Fragile balance between origin and future

Dr. Claudia Emmert, Director of the Kunstmuseum Bonn and a member of the jury, reflects on the jury's decision: "In his work, Christopher Kulendran Thomas explores the fragile balance between origin and future - the question of how modern technologies and algorithmic processes not only alter traditions but actively overwrite them. Against the backdrop of his Tamil heritage and the systematic destruction of Tamil Eelam's culture in 2009, this exploration gains an existential depth. In his installations, Kulendran Thomas makes AI the conductor of cultural evolution. In doing so, he demonstrates to visitors both the creative power and the manipulative potential of algorithmic intelligence. His art masterfully navigates the tension between free inspiration and technological determinism, posing the question of who retains the power to interpret our history in a networked world."

Christopher Kulendran Thomas lives and works in London and Berlin. He spent his formative years in London after his family fled the increasing ethnic oppression of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Today, the artist uses innovative technologies for his interdisciplinary practice and collaborates with technologists, architects, writers, journalists, designers, musicians, and activists from around the world. Kulendran Thomas's works are represented in important collections, such as that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

For the third edition of the Human AI Art Award, 33 international artists were nominated by a renowned nomination jury, 28 of whom applied for the prize. Christopher Kulendran Thomas received two nominations.

About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom Group profile