Korean Job Discussion Forums

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

Visitors look at the video art work, ��Phiber Optik�� by the late Paik Nam-june during an exhibition at the Insa Art Center in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. Visitors to the exhibition surged after news of the artist��s death became known to the world.

His ashes will be divided and kept at the three places most important to him: Korea, New York and Germany. Here's a little from the Korea Times article:

Most of his ashes will come to Korea, but some will be kept in his art museum, the Nam June Paik Studio in New York City, and at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin in Germany, according to Yonhap. Paik's career began flourishing in Germany, where he became involved in the Fluxus movement and met his artistic mentor John Cage. He also met Joseph Beuys whom Paik called a ``kindred spirit.'' ...

Paik's funeral is expected to be at the Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel on Madison Avenue, New York.

His family, including his Japanese-American wife Shigeko Kubota and nephew Ken Paik Hakuta, will hold a press conference at the chapel Tuesday morning to announce detailed information regarding the burial venue.

However, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea has prepared a place for condolence callers to light incense in front of his representative work ``The More, the Better'' at the museum.

A local memorial service will be held as early as Feb. 7 at the National Museum of Art in Toksugung Palace in downtown Seoul, according to Kyonggi Cultural Foundation.

``Paik's funeral service will be held on Feb. 4 in New York, followed by a cremation the next day. His ashes are expected to be brought here as early as Feb. 6,'' said the foundation, which is constructing a museum dedicated to the artist in Yongin, Kyonggi Province. ``Although we have to consult with his family, a local memorial service will be possible Feb. 7 or later.''

He died on January 29, 2006, at his apartment in Miami, Florida, of natural causes.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200601/kt2006013117134210230.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_June_Paik

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

Aside from his innovative art-work with videos, he will long be remembered - at least in the art world - for this great quote:

"Art is just fraud. You just have to do something nobody else has done before", he famously declared during an interview with a Korean newspaper...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_June_Paik

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

Here are some samples of Paik Nam-June's artwork, the titles (in order) are Truman Tower, 1995; TV Tulips, and Video Water:

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Any particular reason why you felt compelled to start multiple threads? Confused

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

I started "twin" threads - but they are not identical twins. Using a blend of science and art, I precisely adapted the same message to the two distinct forums, reflecting the spirit of Paik Nam-June's art (which he admitted was basically fraudulent - but repetitively unique... Rolling Eyes

)

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

According to "Bulsajo" (who is related to famous Canadian artist Alex Coleville) this is perhaps Paik Nam-June's most recognizable work:

Nam June Paik - The more the better - Installation pour 1003 moniteurs - Jeux Olympiques de Séoul - 1988

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

I'd never heard of him when he was alive, ergo I don't give a toss that he's dead

xtchr · Joined: 23 Nov 2004

Are you using 'famous' in the Korean sense of meaning 'nobody has ever heard of it'?

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

I suppose you guys never heard of John Cage or Charlotte Moorman either - how about Yoko Oko? (I vaguely recall seeing Charlotte Moorman perform a John Cage composition on cello - topless and submerged in a tank of water ...) Hey, like one art magazine proclaimed back in the 60's - if you're not avante-garde...you're derriere!

Here's a little more background info on Paik Nam June:

Born in Seoul in 1932, Paik studied art history at Tokyo University, where he wrote his thesis on Modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg. He went to Germany to pursue his interest in avant-garde music and performance at Ludwig-Maximilians Universitaet, Munich. There, he collaborated with such artists as Joseph Beuys and met composer John Cage, whose ideas had a tremendous influence on his work.
His debut with a solo exhibition in 1963 earned him recognition as the inventor of video art. From ��TV Bra for Living Sculpture�� with cellist Charlotte Moorman in 1969 to ��Good Morning, Mr. Orwell,�� a live interactive satellite broadcast between New York and Paris in 1984, Paik was recognized as one of the most influential contemporary artists.

Paik is perhaps the only artist of Korean descent who gathered constant worldwide attention and exhibited at the world��s leading museums, including the Guggenheim and Whitney museums in New York, the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 1996, Paik suffered a stroke which paralyzed the left side of his body and left him wheelchair-bound. But he continued to explore television sculpture, robotic devices and giant video walls -- staging the performance ��Hommage à John Cage�� as recently as autumn 2004. He won numerous awards, including Best Pavilion at the 1993 Venice Biennale.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200601/200601300012.html

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

well no, I have heard of those people- but they're not dead

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

Are you familiar with the work of this great artist?:

Of course, they're the work of "Ash-Ron" (aka "Rteacher") The titles (from top to bottom...) are "Angergod", "Creationing" and "Alien Hookers"... An authorized Sotheby's (on-line auction) agent still has "Angergod"; I gave "Creationing" away to a relative; and a British collector paid $1300.00 for "Alien Hookers" - and another small painting...

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

So, just as Paik Nam-June was the greatest Korean artist living in America (or the west) we can now agree (or not...) that I ("Rteacher" aka "Ash-Ron"...) is the greatest American (or western) artist living in Korea... Cool

Any challengers out there? Mad

Picture titles - top: "Bird House" - below it: "Cosmic Wrestling Stars"...

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

I don't see how the "troll" concept fits here. I may be hijacking my own thread a little and stirring up a little friendly competition - I invite other forum members to post their own art (or that of another westerner living in Korea) to see if he - or she - can seriously challenge my claim to be the greatest western artist living in Korea. (Whether-or-not I'm the reincarnation of Arshille Gorky - or not - is irrelevant...) I just thought it might be a fun thing - not a serious debate on reincarnation (which would also be OK, I guess, but I really didn't intend to steer this thread in that direction...) As I noted on the similar thread in the "Current Events" forum (where I posted three samples of Gorky's work) my artwork doesn't much resemble Gorky's. I haven't posted any of his stuff on this thread...(And it was "Bulsajo" who gave me the idea to post my artwork when he posted some paintings by Alex Coleville...)

HapKi · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL

I am. While the subject of "Cat and Magpie" may not be original in Korean culture, I believe I have subtly captured the symbolic turmoils of man's existential plight in the cat's gnawing of its own tongue.