Nam June Paik | ARTPIL

Nam June Paik, TV Garden, 1974-7 (2002) Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Düsseldorf, Germany) © Estate of Nam June Paik, Photo: Tate

Nam June Paik’s experimental, innovative, yet playful work has had a profound influence on today’s art and culture. He pioneered the use of TV and video in art and coined the phrase ‘electronic superhighway’ to predict the future of communication in the internet age.

This major exhibition at Tate Modern will be a mesmerizing riot of sights and sounds. It brings together over 200 works from throughout his five-decade career – from robots made from old TV screens, to his innovative video works and all-encompassing room-sized installations such as the dazzling Sistine Chapel 1993.

Nam June Paik, TV Garden 1974-7 (2002) Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Düsseldorf, Germany) © Estate of Nam June Paik, Photo: Tate (Roger Sinek)

Nam June Paik, Internet Dream 1994. Image courtesy ZKM Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe © Estate of Nam June Paik.

Nam June Paik, TV Eyeglasses, 1971 Collection & © The Estate of Nam June Paik. Photo: Tate / Nam June Paik, Photo: Tate

Born in South Korea in 1932, but living and working in Japan, Germany and the USA, Paik developed a collaborative artistic practice that crossed borders and disciplines. The exhibition looks at his close collaboration with cellist Charlotte Moorman. It will also highlight partnerships with other avant-garde artists, musicians, choreographers and poets, including John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Joseph Beuys.

© The Estate of Nam June Paik

Nam June Paik, Nixon, 1965–2002, © Nam June Paik Estate / Nam June Paik, Bakelite Robot 2002 © Nam June Paik Estate

Nam June Paik, TV Buddha, 1974 Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam © The Estate of Nam June Paik

Nam June Paik exhibition book

This ground-breaking exhibition catalogue brings together works that span Nam June Paik’s five decade career, including archival materials and excerpts of Paik’s own writings. It offers an in-depth understanding of the artist’s innovative practice and his vision of a multidisciplinary future. By Sook-Kyung Lee & Rudolf Frieling.

Nam June Paik / Sook-Kyung Lee & Rudolf Frieling

Exhibition organized by Tate Modern and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and National Gallery of Singapore. Nam June Paik is presented in The Eyal Ofer Galleries. Research supported by Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational.

Nam June Paik
October 17, 2019 – February 9, 2020 / Tate Modern
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