Film Screening

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV

 

Friday, September 20, 2024, 6:30–8:30 pm

@The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, The Met Fifth Avenue

 

Experience the feature-length documentary that chronicles the life and times of Nam June Paik, a key figure of the American avant-garde in the 20th century. Widely regarded as the father of video art, Paik coined the phrase “Electronic Superhighway,” and is among the most famous Korean artists in modern history.

 

Before the film, hear from director Amanda Kim as she shares insights into her process of telling Paik’s story.  

 

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Lineages: Korean Art at The Met.

 

Free with Museum admission, though advance registration is required.  Please note: Space is limited; first come, first served.

 

*RSVP

https://engage.metmuseum.org/events/education/talks/public-programs/grr/fy25/film-screening-nam-june-paik-moon-is-the-oldest-tv/

 

 

Nam June Paik, Moon is the Oldest TV, ca. 1960–1979, vintage TV, 48 x 47.5 x 45 cm.

 

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV

 

DIRECTED BY AMANDA KIM

“A gargantuan tower of televisions… a majestic beast of an artwork — captivating, ingenious, exhilarating, and kind of hilarious”: Nam June Paik’s most celebrated sculptural piece, The More, the Better as described by Andrew Russeth (Artforum’s Best of 2022). The Korean-born, German-educated, life-long New Yorker, Nam June Paik (1932-2006) coined the phrase “the electronic superhighway” long before the Internet was born. A consummate shape-shifter — classical composer, subversive trickster, pioneer of experimental “interventions” (he called “action music”) and, according to friends, speaker of nine languages (all badly).  Paik’s influences ranged from Hegel to Schoenberg, from traditional Korean dance to Buddhism, space travel, and beyond.  Debut filmmaker Amanda Kim’s captivating, kinetic documentary — narrated by actor Steven Yeun (MINARI, BURNING) — uses archival footage and clips from the artist’s work to recount his collaborations and fascinations with Joseph Beuys, Charlotte Moorman (the topless cellist), David Bowie, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Allen Ginsberg, Merce Cunningham, and his great mentor and friend, John Cage. 2022,107 MIN.,USA 

 

Reviews

“Amanda Kim’s feature doc is as sprightly as the man whose life she follows. There’s an innocence here, and an enigmatic genius at play. Marina Abramović (is) just one of many commentators… happy to contextualize Paik’s work and marvel all over again at the foresight of the man who invented the term ‘electronic superhighway.’ There’s a great deal of charm and humor to Paik’s work, and to this film, but it’s anchored by his perceptiveness and ability to contemplate weighty themes — and, yes, to anticipate the future. Paik’s daring ‘Good Morning Mr Orwell’ live New Year telecast from Paris and the US at the start of 1984, anchored by an increasingly drunken George Plimpton, is a highlight of the film.”

– Fionnuala Halligan, Screen

 

“ENGROSSING. A clear picture of the artist as a joyfully disruptive presence.”

– Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com

https://filmforum.org/film/nam-june-paik-moon-is-the-oldest-tv 

 

 

*백남준: 시간의 마에스트로' @뉴욕한국문화원, 2019 

 

한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 

#24 '비디오 아트의 선구자' 백남준과 후예 8인방 Nam June Paik and His Descendants 

 코스모폴리탄 백남준은 '비디오 아트의 창시자'였다. 그의 영향을 받은 세계적인 현대 미술가 8인방(조앤 조나스, 브루스 나우만, 빌 비올라, 토니 아워슬러, 크리스찬 마클레이, 더그 에이트킨, 피필로티 리스트, 그리고 비극적으로 요절한 한인 아티스트로 2022 휘트니 비엔날레에 전시된 테레사 학경 차/Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, 1951-1982)를 소개한다.

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Focus&document_srl=4085256

 

 

 

33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave

#24 Nam June Paik and His Descendants 

 Cosmopolitan Nam June Paik was the 'The Pioneer of Video Art' and has influenced numerous contemporary artists including Joan Jonas, Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, Tony Oursler, Christian Marclay, Doug Aitken, Pipilotti Rist, and the tragically killed Korean-American artist, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha whose work was shown at the 2022 Whitney Biennial.

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4113410