An international superstar in the art world, Nam June Paik (1932-2006) was a key figure in the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. The visionary artist and "father of video art" is known for bringing television to fine art, treating it as a tactile and multisensory medium and object. A transcultural artist, he was born in what is now South Korea and spent much of his life in Japan, Germany, and the United States.
National Gallery Singapore is hosting the legendary artist's first major survey in Southeast Asia, Nam June Paik: The Future Is Now. After kicking off at London's Tate Modern in 2019 before touring San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, the exhibition makes its last stop on our shores. This also marks the gallery's first major international exhibition since late 2019.
The exhibition will feature an expansive range of Paik's work through over 180 installations, projections, modified televisions, video sculptures, robots and other inventive contraptions, as well as archival materials relating to Paik's training in music and participation in movements such as Fluxus. His works were created against the backdrop of rapid technological developments around the world.
For the unacquainted, Paik was decades ahead of his time, having played a leading role in bridging the gap between art and technology by transforming video into an artist's medium and exploring the potential of media-based art as early as the 1950s. In fact, Paik coined the term "electronic superhighway" in 1974, when he predicted the future of communication and the internet.
Catch Paik's most revolutionary works like TV Buddha (1974), which explores the contrasts and parallels between East and West, and between technology and spirituality; TV Garden (1974-1977), in which Paik imagined a future landscape where technology is an integral part of the natural world; and the impressive John Cage Robot II (1995).
And of course, don't miss Sistine Chapel (1993/2021), which was the centrepiece of the artist's Venice Biennale exhibition. Step into The Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery and be prepared to be wowed by a visual feast of fast-paced and overlapping images that completely cover the gallery walls and ceilings.
The show also documents his creative collaborations with leading artists and art movements such as international collective Fluxus; key avant-garde artists Joseph Beuys, John Cage, Charlotte Moorman and Merce Cunningham; and composers and cultural icons like John Cage and David Bowie.
Nam June Paik: The Future is Now will run from December 10 to March 27 next year. For more details, visit namjunepaik.sg
