First Nam June Paik Media Art Festival Kicks Off: 'Paik Nam-June's Planet'

[Anchor]

Marking the 20th anniversary of Nam June Paik's passing, the first global media art festival is currently underway. Under the theme "Paik Nam-June's Planet," the event also features participation from young contemporary artists.

Reporter Yu Yeong-su has the story.

[Reporter]

This is "Spaceship to Virtual Venus," constructed by stacking 36 13-inch TVs into the shape of a spaceship.

Blending futuristic imagination, Buddhist contemplation, and pop culture imagery, the work is being unveiled in South Korea for the first time.

Centered around a large hemispherical satellite dish with televisions arranged like a pinwheel, the work "Venus" also demonstrates how Paik imagined humans and the universe.

[Pi Gyeong-won / Visitor: It has elements that make you constantly meditate on our inner selves, and I think Mr. Paik Nam-June probably had that thought in mind as well. I feel like that was conveyed to me.]

Marking the 20th anniversary of Nam June Paik's passing, the Nam June Paik Art Center has hosted a media art festival bearing his name for the first time.

The theme of the event is "Paik Nam-June's Planet," capturing the meaning that he always imagined the universe and looked forward to encounters with the future, with young artists also joining in.

[Park So-young / Artist (Participated with "Turtle and Space Serpent," "Melon Space Sea", etc.): I think that attempting to reveal a new field of life art and philosophical contemplation from the grand integration of ethical and cosmic orders resonates with Paik's artistic worldview.]

The art center plans to hold the festival annually by changing the theme and inviting young artists who inherit Paik's critical awareness.

[Park Nam-hee / Director, Nam June Paik Art Center: The most core part of the festival is about Paik and the contemporary era operating together, moving together, and creating an open circuit together.]

The media art festival runs until February 14 next year.

(Video by: In Pil-seong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.