[K-wave] Paik Nam-june exhibitions to commemorate 20th anniversary of his death

Paik Nam-June is a world-renowned artist, considered a pioneer of video art.

Though many may recognize his name, his works may not come to mind.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of Paik's death next year, various exhibitions have been organized to commemorate the groundbreaking artist.

Lee Eun-jin tells us more.

On New Year's Day of 1984, the first international "satellite art" installation was presented by Korean-American artist Paik Nam-june.

Setting out to counter George Orwell's depressing portrayal of television in the novel "1984," the live broadcast of the satellite art production from New York was simultaneously aired in Korea, and the live broadcast from Paris was also aired in real-time to Germany.

Featuring pop music videos, dance and video art, the piece, called "Good Morning, Mr. Orwell" combined live and taped segments, along with TV graphics designed by Paik himself.

The breakthrough attempt of its time was an astounding success, reaching an audience of over 25 million viewers worldwide.

Painting with his hair, or dragging a violin through the streets, then setting it on fire, Paik Nam-june broke stereotypes with his eccentricity.

Paik's Robot K-456, first displayed in 1964, was his first work that took shape of a robot, which opened questions of humanity amid advancing technology.

"He was an artist that suggested how new technology could change the world. Above all, he made such predictions from such a euphoric and optimistic perspective."

Paik Nam-june shifted away from traditional ideas and pioneered a new genre called "video art" by breaking down the boundaries between technology and art.

In the 1970s when black and white analogue TVs were still the norm, Paik was ahead of his time, as if he had an insight into the hyper-connected era we live in today.

"The most internationally famous K-culture content before PSY was that of Paik Nam-june. As a future-thinking artist, he very insightfully showed how society would change with the development of technology and what the roles of artists and communication will be in that world."

Efforts to display Paik Nam-june's journey have been underway for years.

And for this year, the first was an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan that ended on March 16th. It was the largest exhibition since Paik's death, and was visited by 122-thousand visitors.

The Nam June Paik Art Center continues to hold events and exhibitions to showcase the artist's experimental mindset.

Many are interested to see how Paik Nam-june's ideas were realized with the help of his collaborators.

"The role that Paik played was like the conductor of an orchestra. Under his direction were very, very talented collaborators who came together to produce these projects. And their passion and efforts have been documented."

The 'Play it Again, Paik' exhibition will feature recordings of his past interviews. It will open on April 10th at the Nam June Paik Art Center, and run into next year.

The 2023 film titled 'Nam June Paik: The Moon Is the Oldest TV' is screening at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art as part of its 'Moment of Creation -The Artist's Studio' a collection of eight films that show artists creating new works.

This program will run until May 24th.

Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.