Taking the first breath of
2020, I recall this quote: “The Future is Now.[1]”
Nam June Paik (1932-2006, Korea) claimed and used the time of today, while
living in yesterday. As in his New Year greetings to George Orwell (1903-1950,
U.K.), he continuously foresaw the future with optimistic views. Recently, we
faced the symbolic era that is the year 2000. We were elated with a sense of
duty, and perhaps, were also in distress due to responsibilities too burdensome
to take in. Rapture and fear combined, we truly experienced innumerable trials
and changes. Art broadened its borders and disassembled rules. Our standards
for assessment became diverse in proportion to this infinite expansion. Now, we
turn the chapter of the 21.2 Century. This exhibition comprises works from
Hakgojae Collection. With Nam June Paik at the outset, various works by Korean
and international artists are presented.
Nam June Paik’s Robot (Radio Man, Joseph Beuys) (1987)
opens up the exhibition. Paik created this work in the following year since his
old friend, Joseph Beuys (1921-1986, Germany) passed away. The felt hat that
Beuys liked to wear is symbolic. The monitor located on the top plays Good Morning Mr. Orwell (1984), and the
one on the bottom plays Bye Bye Kipling (1986).
These two works are a part of a series Paik called Space Opera Trilogy.[2] Paik bids his innocent
farewell to Orwell’s dystopian prediction and responds to Rudyard Kipling
(1865-1936, India), who deemed that the East and the West could never concord
with one another with the world connected by satellite. A robot of the end of
the century gazes towards today.
[1] PAIK, Nam June. “People talk
about the future being tomorrow, but the future is now.” in: ARTnews (New York: 1995).
[2] Nam June Paik’s Satellite
Trilogy. Good Morning Mr. Orwell (1984),
Bye Bye Kipling (1986), Wrap around the World (1988)
Excerpt from “Hakgojae Collection: 21.2 Century” | Miran Park (Curator at Hakgojae Gallery)
