paik nam june museum

Paik Nam June Art Center to Open in October

"Three Elements" (1997-2000) by Paik Nam June

/ Courtesy of Nam June Paik Art Center

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Nearly two years after the death of celebrated video art pioneer Paik Nam June, the art center dedicated to preserving his work and continuing his legacy will finally present its inaugural festival next month.

The Nam June Paik Art Center (NJP Art Center), located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, presents ``Now Jump'' from Oct. 8 to Feb. 5. The festival showcases exciting works by 103 artists and nine teams from 19 countries, not just at the new glass-covered Art Center building, but also at the Shingai High School gymnasium and Zien Art Space.

```Now Jump' is an appeal to not simply rely on past achievements: Now is always the time to act and jump. The title is an invitation but also represents the ambition of the NJP Art Center to leap into the future through the festival,'' the organizers said.

The festival is not meant as a tribute to Paik, considered the first artist to integrate media and art, but a celebration of his legacy and the spirit of his work. Born in 1932 in Seoul, Paik's electronic video works and performance art have been critically acclaimed but often controversial.

``Now Jump'' is the first project helmed by Tobias Berger, who was appointed chief curator at NJP Art Center two months ago.

``I am excited my old connection to Fluxus and Paik have led to an opportunity to develop new curatorial approaches in this museum. We want to take Paik's extraordinary legacy as a model to build key pillars for the center,'' Berger told reporters at a press conference in downtown Seoul, Tuesday.

Berger was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, where the first Fluxus Festival was held in 1962. He grew up admiring the works of Fluxus artists, studied and researched the Fluxus movement and along the way, met and became friends with many of the Fluxus artists, including Paik.

``Now Jump'' is divided into five ``stations,'' which feature exhibitions, performances, workshops, seminars, as well as the establishment of the NJP Art Center prize.

``Station 1'' places Paik's archival works and materials with his friends, colleagues and references such as Joseph Beuys, George Brecht, Charlotte Moorman, Merce Cunningham and John Cage. The section hopes to recontextualize Paik's works within history, the Fluxus movement and other trends in the 1960s.

The state of performance art today is the main focus of ``Station 2.'' It has now been more than 40 years since Paik started avant-garde performances that straddled the line between art and non-art. There are 20 performances scheduled through February, such as ``Quizoola!'' by British theater company Forced Entertainment (Oct. 18); ``X-Event 2'' by Les Gens d'Uterpan (Oct.8-11); ``History of Performance in 20 mns'' by art critic Guillaume Desanges (Oct. 18-19); and ``5 Days in March'' by Toshiki Okada (Dec. 13-14).

Unlike Stations 1 and 2 which are located in the Art Center building, ``Station 3'' places artworks in a private gallery and a high school gym. The works by architects Paolo Soleri and Cho Min-suk and artists Bik van der Pol, Jackson Hong and Sasa [44] will be on display.

Reservation is required for certain performances at the festival. Please e-mail name, contact information and title and date of performance to reservation@njpartcenter.kr.

Admission is 7,000 won for adults, 5,000 won for middle and high school students and 3,000 won for elementary school students. Visit www.njpartcenter.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr