Artistic Achievements and Influence of Paik Nam-june... National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's 'Paik Nam-june Effect' Exhibition

Special Exhibition at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Gwacheon from the 10th
43 Representative Works of Nam June Paik and 60 Works by Contemporary Artists on Display

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) announced on the 9th that it will hold a special exhibition titled "The Nam June Paik Effect" at the MMCA Gwacheon in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, from the 10th of this month until February 26th of next year. The photo shows Nam June Paik's work "Chinggis Khan's Lottery." Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A special exhibition highlighting the artistic achievements and influence of video art master Nam June Paik will be held.

On the 9th, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) announced that from the 10th until February 26 of next year, it will hold the special exhibition "The Nam June Paik Effect" at the MMCA Gwacheon.

The exhibition will feature 43 works from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, including Nam June Paik's major works such as the "My Faust" series, "Chinggis Khan's Lottery," and the "Lyon Biennale Set."

The MMCA is conducting the "Nam June Paik Festival" to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Nam June Paik's (1932-2006) birth. Earlier, on September 15, it reactivated Nam June Paik's largest video art piece "More the Better" and presented the archive exhibition "More the Better: Joyful Collaboration."

This exhibition revisits the situation of Korean art in the 1990s through the main themes of exhibitions that Nam June Paik planned with the MMCA, such as "Nam June Paik·Video Era·Video Land" (1992) and "Whitney Biennale Seoul" (1993). It explores the identity of Korean visual culture in the 1990s through Nam June Paik and the works of Korean artists active at the time, while also highlighting the vision Nam June Paik dreamed of, which greatly influenced contemporary art.

Nam June Paik's 'Family Portrait with Secrets Unveiled'. Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

A total of 103 works are exhibited, including 43 major works by Nam June Paik from the late 1980s to early 1990s, and 60 representative paintings, installations, and photographs from the 1990s by 25 important artists in Korean contemporary art history. The exhibition also adds significance by showcasing early 1990s experimental works by 25 artists such as Koo Bon-chang, Kim Hae-min, Moon Joo, Park Eeso, Seok Young-gi, Yang Joo-hye, Yoon Dong-chun, Lee Dong-gi, Lee Bul, Jeon Soo-cheon, Hong Sung-do, and Hong Seung-hye, who actively explored the expansion of genres and media.

The exhibition is organized into four sections: ▲Nation and People, National (Identity), International Events and the Dream of Globalization ▲The Path of Modernization, Scientific and Technological Advancement, Optimism Toward the Future ▲Mixed Media and Installation, Hybridity, Third Spaces and Alternative Spaces ▲Personal Exploration, Minority (Identity), Plurality. At the beginning of each section, excerpts from actual interviews and columns revealing the ideals and visions Nam June Paik dreamed of are presented to evoke the themes of each section.

In the archive section, along with popular media materials and historical documents reflecting the 1990s era, institutional materials from "Nam June Paik·Video Era·Video Land" (1992), "Whitney Biennale Seoul" (1993), and videos capturing the scenes of major exhibitions Nam June Paik participated in, including the 1993 Venice Biennale and the 1995 Lyon Biennale, are disclosed.

Yun Bum-mo, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, said, "We hope that this special exhibition, which will mark the finale of the 90th anniversary 'Nam June Paik Festival,' will provide an opportunity to reexamine and elevate Nam June Paik's artistic achievements that greatly influenced the identity of Korean visual culture in the 1990s."