Nam June Paik

Good Morning,
Mr. Nam June PAIK
1st February -7th March 2008

Korean Cultural Centre UK
Ground Floor, Grand Buildings
1 Northumberland Avenue
London, WC2N 5EJ

Good morning Mr. Nam June PAIK presents works by 24 Korean contemporary artists, including Nam June PAIK(1932-2006) whose three major video pieces will be shown in London for the first time.

Although better known as a founder of video installation art, he was also known as a collaborative force for some of the performance/mixed media works with number of artists such as Joseph Beuys and John Cage. He was the first truly international Korean artist, bridging East and West, visual art and music, high and low art. Curated by independent curator and art historian Jiyoon Lee, this exhibition is a celebration of Paik’s artistic spirit, that of creativity, communication and collaboration.

As an inauguration of the new cultural centre in London, this exhibition venue has been specially designed by internationally renowned Korean artist Jeong Hwa CHOI.

The exhibition title is inspired by Nam June PAIK’s groundbreaking satellite installation project ‘Good Morning, Mr. Orwell’ (1984) which linked New York and Centre Pompidou as well as hooking up with broadcasters in Germany and South Korea. Performed and originally broadcast on the first day of year 1984, PAIK’s project was a rebuttal to Orwell’s dystopian vision of the future, highlighting the use of the mass media and communication as means of creativity and expression of artistic freedom. Good Morning Mr. Nam June PAIK does not follow the format or content of PAIK’s project but instead takes its spirit, and relate it to our times. Good Morning, Mr. Nam June PAIK is a celebration of random creativity arising from unintended collaborations, which in itself arises from the joy of communication.

Good Morning, Mr. Nam June PAIK presents a documentary on PAIK with special screenings of Global Groove (1973) which was made with his close collaborator Charlotte Moorman; A Tribute to John Cage (1972) which is a homage to his teacher John Cage and Beuys and Shaman (1999)-recording of his performance with a close friend and colleague Joseph Beuys.

Good Morning, Mr. Nam June PAIK looks at PAIK’s lifelong engagement with art as a collaborator, a friend and a contributor to Korean art. Moreover, the exhibition greets PAIK’s legacy and introduces Korean contemporary artists, as well as rethink where they stand in relation to the first international Korean artist.

ARTISTS (in alphabetical order)
Bien-U BAE/ Joonsung BAE/ Yujung CHANG/ Duck Hyun CHO/ Woojung CHUN/ Debbie HAN, Young In HONG/ Young-sung HWANG/ Eemyun KANG/ Seunghee KANG/ Atta KIM/ Daesoo KIM/ Jiwon KIM/ Jonghak KIM/ Kira KIM/ Bohnchang KOO/ Sungsoo KOO/ Wal-Jong LEE/ Yongbaek LEE/ Young Kyun LIM/ Nam June PAIK/ Meekyoung SHIN/ Soo Nam SONG/ Miyeon YOON

Guest Curated by Jiyoon LEE

Organized by: SUUM Contemporary Art Project http://www.suumproject.com and Korean Cultural Centre, UK http://london.korean-culture.org

Contact: e-mail: info@suumproject.com

Opening hours: 10am-5.30 pm (Mon-Fri)

Admission: Free