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The City of Nam June Paik: The Sea Fused with The Sun
Nam June Paik, one of the legendary pioneers of video art, returns to the spotlight in the latest exhibition The City of Nam June Paik: The Sea Fused with The Sun at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, South Korea. The show not only pays tribute to Paik’s groundbreaking vision but also brings together four contemporary artists—Yiyun Kang, Gijeong Goo, Hyewon Kwon, and Inhwa Yeom—who extend his legacy by exploring the possibilities of video art in today’s technological landscape.
Nam June Paik: A Visionary of “Videory”
The exhibition reflects on how technology has transformed human perception of reality. In today’s world, saturated with screens and moving images, video no longer merely mirrors reality—it constructs new realities of its own. This echoes Paik’s prophetic idea of “videory,” first introduced in 1972, in which he foresaw that the future of human history would be documented through images and video rather than written language. Today, collective memory and history are indeed layered and replayed endlessly through video archives, just as Paik envisioned.
Inspired by Poetry
The exhibition title, The Sea Fused with The Sun, is drawn from Arthur Rimbaud’s poem Eternity. Paik employed this poetic metaphor to articulate video’s nonlinear temporality. In a world increasingly defined by advanced technology, time does not flow strictly in sequence but can exist simultaneously in multiple dimensions—where different events overlap, coexist, and accumulate into layered histories.
Legacy Meets Cutting-Edge Technology
Alongside Paik’s works, the exhibition features four contemporary artists who reinterpret and expand upon his video art legacy. Their works experiment with how time and space are perceived through the lens of today’s technologies. Among the highlights are immersive three-dimensional “Spatial Video” installations, which function not only as media of recording but also as environments of presence. These pieces invite viewers to encounter a world reconfigured by media art—extending Paik’s radical vision into new frontiers that were unimaginable during his lifetime.
The City of Nam June Paik: The Sea Fused with The Sun: Visiting Information
The exhibition The City of Nam June Paik: The Sea Fused with The Sun runs from August 7 to October 19, 2025, at Gallery 2 of the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Curated by Kwonjin Cho, the show brings together Nam June Paik with artists Yiyun Kang, Gijeong Goo, Hyewon Kwon, and Inhwa Yeom.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00–18:00 (closed on Mondays).
For inquiries: [email protected] / +82-31-201-8546.
The exhibition is also part of the Yongin Special City 2025 Smart Tourism City Project and will extend beyond the main run, continuing through December 31, 2025, on the Media Wall of the Nam June Paik Art Center as well as at the outdoor venue of Yongin Poeun Art Hall.
Story: Tae Art Man
Photo Credit: Nam June Paik Art Center
