Nasce a Seul, in Corea del Sud nel 1932. Lavora in diversi ambiti di ricerca spaziando dalla musica alla performance fino alla videoarte, di cui è uno dei pionieri. Si forma a Tokyo in estetica, arte e musica e dopo la laurea prosegue gli studi in Europa prima a Monaco di Baviera e di Colonia e in seguito a Friburgo. Tra il 1958 e il 1963 partecipa alle manifestazioni Fluxus a Düsseldorf ed entra in contatto con J. Cage, W. Vostell e G. Maciunas. Nel 1964 si trasferisce a New York e avvia la trentennale collaborazione con il violoncellista Charlotte Moormann. Paik si dimostra precursore nell’utilizzo di nuove tecnologie, modificate dall’uso convenzionale e finalizzate a nuove possibilità espressive, grazie anche alla lezione di Cage sullo sconfinamento mediale, in cui suono e immagine confluiscono l’uno nell’altro in una dimensione performativa. Nel 1993 è insignito del Leone d’Oro (con Hans Haacke) alla Biennale di Venezia.

SELEZIONE ESPOSIZIONI PERSONALI:

1959

Düsseldorf, Galerie 22

1960

Colonia, Mary Bauermeister Studio

1962

Düsseldorf, Kammerspiele

1963

Wuppertal, Galerie Parnass, Exposition of Music-Electronic Television

1965

New York, Galleria Bonino, Electronic Art
New York, New School for Social Research New York, NJ Paik: Electronic TV, Color TV Experiments, 3 Robots, 2 Zen Boxes & 1 Zen Can

1967

New York, Art Center of the Paul Klapper Library, Queens College, Expanding Perceptions in the Arts

1968

New York, Galleria Bonino, Electronic Art II

1971

New York, Galleria Bonino, Electronic Art III
New York, Rizzoli Screening Room, Hit and Run Screening of Video Films

1973

New York, The Kitchen, Mercer Arts Center, Videotapes from the Perpetual Pioneer of Video Art

1974

New York, Galleria Bonino, Nam June Paik: TV Sea: Electronic Art IV
Syracuse, Everson Museum of Art, Nam June Paik: Video’n’Videology 1959-1973

1975

New York, Rene Block Gallery, Nam June Paik
New York, Martha Jackson Gallery, Fish on the Sky-Fish hardly flies anymore on the Sky-let Fisches fly again

1976

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Projects, Nam June Paik
New York, Galeria Bonino, Fish Flies on Sky
Colonia, Kolnischer Kunstverein; Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Nam June Paik: Werke 1946-1976: Musik-Fluxus-Video

1977

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Projects: Nam June Paik
Berlino, Galerie Rene Block, Fluxus Traffic
Ginevra, Marika Malacorda, Nam June Paik

1978

Tokyo, Gallery Watari, A tribute to John Cage
Parigi, Centre National d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, TV Garden
Parigi, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Nam June Paik

1980

New York, The New American Filmmakers Series, Whitney Museum of American Art, Nam June Paik
Tokyo, Gallery Watari, Videa

1981

Tokyo, Sony Hall, Program of videotapes
Tokyo, Gallery Watari, Random Access/Paper TV

1982

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art; Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Nam June Paik
Parigi, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Tri-Colour Video

1984

Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Mostly Video
Berlino, DAAD-Galerie
Parigi, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Good Morning Mr. Orwell

1985

Cincinnati, Carl Solway Gallery; Chicago, International Art Exposition, Nam June Paik: Family of Robot

1986

New York, Holly Solomon Gallery, Nam June Paik: Sculpture, Painting and Laser Photography

1988

Los Angeles, Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, Nam June Paik: Beuys and Bogie
New York, Holly Solomon Gallery, Nam June Paik: Color Bar Paintings
Londra, South Bank Centre, Nam June Paik: Family of Robot

1989

Londra, Mayor Rowan Gallery
Madrid, Galerie Juana Mordo
Amburgo, Weisses Haus
Parigi, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, La Fée Electronique

1990

Francoforte, Deutsches Post Museum, Pre-Bell Man (Public Sculpture)
New York, Holly Solomon Gallery
Bruxelles, Galerie Mauricd Keitelman
Düsseldorf, Galerie Hans Mayer

1991

Zurigo, Kunsthaus; Basilea, Kunsthalle; Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle, Nam June Paik: Retrospektive
Cincinnati, Carl Solway Gallery, Recent Video Sculptures

1992

Düsseldorf, Galerie Hans Mayer, New Video Sculptures
Vienna, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Nam June Paik: Retrospective
Seoul, Museum of Modern Art, Nam June Paik: Retrospective
Roma, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Nam June Paik: Arti Elettroniche

1993

Venezia, Biennale di Venezia, Artist as Nomad
Zurigo, Sammlung Hauser & Wirth, Jardin illumine

1994

New York, Associated of American Art, The Art Show

1995

Indianapolis, Indianapolis Museum of Art (itinerante), The Electronic Super Highway, Nam June Paik in the Nineties
Berlino, Galerie Fine Art Rafael Vostell, New Work
Turku, Ars Nova, Nam June Paik, Video Sculptures and Video Installations
Münster, Westfalisches Landesmuseum Munster, Name June Paik-Baroque Laser

1996

Copenaghen, Statens Museum fur Kunst, The Electronic Super Highway, Bill Clinton Stole my Ideas

1997

New York, Kim Foster Gallery
New York, Anthology Film Archives
Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Electronic Super Highway, Nam June Paik in the Nineties

1999

Mosca, TV Gallery, Medium is the Message
Brema, Kunsthalle, Nam June Paik: Fluxus/Video

2000

New York, Guggenheim Museum; Seoul, Hoam Museum, The Worlds of Nam June Paik
Basilea, Museum fur Gegenwartskunst, Nam June Paik, Zeichnungen
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Nam June Paik: Video Art Pioneer

2002

Duisburg, Wilhelm-Lehmbruck Museum, Nam June Paik, Fluxus und Video Skulptur
Torino, Palazzo Cavour, Il giocoliere elettronico

2004

Berlino, Deutsche Guggenheim, Nam June Paik: Global Groove
Dortmund, Phoenix Halle, Nam June Paik, Award 2004 der Kunstschiftung NRW
Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales

2005

Colonia, Galerie Reckermann, Den Zufall im Griff
Parigi, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris à la Maison de la Radio France, Olympe de Gouges

2006

Tokyo, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Bye Bye, Nam June Paik
New York, Museum of Modern Art, In memorian
Bochum, Kunstmuseum Bochum, Paik on Paper

2007

Madrid, Fundaciòn Telefonica, Nam June Paik y Corea, de la Fantastico a lo hiperreal
New York, James Cohan Fallery, Nam June Paik

2008

Karlsruhe, Foyer of the EnBW, Nam June Paik – Works from the ZKM Collection

2009

New York, James Cohan Gallery, Nam June Paik Live Feed: 1972-1994
Beijing, CAFA Art Museum-China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Nam June Paik
Vienna, MUMOK, Nam June paik – Music for all Senses

2010

Milano, Galleria Six, Nam June Paik
Düsseldorf, Museum Kunstpalast, Nam June Paik
Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Nam June Paik
Liverpool, FACT, Nam June Paik

2011

Berlino, LEE galerie BERLIN, Nam June Paik
Kitakyushu, Centre for Contemporary Art, VIDEO SCREENING 2 2011
Washington, The National Gallery of Art, In the Tower: Nam June Paik
Roma, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Nam June Paik

2012

Washington, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Nam June Paik

2014

New York, Asia Society, Nam June Paik: Becoming Robot

2015

New York, James Cohan Gallery, Nam June Paik

2016

Londra, Tate Modern, Nam June Paik
Seoul, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, The Paik Nam June Show

2017

San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Nam June Paik: In Character

 

SELEZIONE ESPOSIZIONI COLLETTIVE:

1959

Düsseldorf, Galerie 22

1962

Wiesbaden, Fluxus Festival
Roma, Galleria La Salita, Notations

1964

New York, Canal Street, Flux Concerts

1966

Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Art turns On
Providence, Museum of Art – Rhode Island School of Design, Programmed Art

1967

New York, The Jewish Museum, The Artist as Filmaker
Minneapolis, Walker Art Center, Light, Motion, Space

1968

Londra, Institute of Contemporary Art, Cybernetic Serendipity: The Computer and the Arts
New York, Museum of Modern Art, The Machine, As Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age

1969

Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, New Ideas, New materials

1970

Colonia, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Happening and Fluxus

1971

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Cineprobe
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Videoshow

1973

Tubingen, Kunsthalle Tubingen, Cremer Collection – European Avant-Garde 1950-1970

1974

Colonia, Kunsthalle Koln, Project ‘74

1975

Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technologies, Art transition
Philadelphia, Institute of Contemporary Art, Video Art
Zurigo, Kunsthaus Zurich, The Museum of Drawers
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Open circuits: The Future of Television

1976

Kassel, Documenta 6
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Biennial Exhibition

1981

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Biennial Exhibition

1982

Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, 60’80 attitudes/concepts/images
Colonia, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Videokunst in Deutschland, 1963-1982

1984

Venezia, La Biennale di Venezia
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, The Luminous Image

1987

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Biennial Exhibition
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Avant-Garde in the Eighties
Kassel, Documenta 8

1988

Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art (itinerante), The Arts for Television

1989

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Image World: Art and Media Culture

1992

Montreal, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montreal, Pour la Suite du Monde
New York, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Flux Attitudes

1993

Venezia, Biennale di Venezia
Chicago, Art Chicago International 1993
Londra, National Potrait Gallery, The Portrait Now
Tokyo, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Feedback and Feedforth

1994

New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Howard Wise Gallery: TV as a Creative Medium
Parigi, Centre Georges Pompidou, Hors limities, l’art et la vie, 1952-1994

1995

Lione, 3° Biennale de Lyon
Ginevra, Palais des Nations, Dialogues of Peace

1996

New York, Guggenheim Museum Soho, Mediascape

1997

Washington, National Museum of American Art
Jacksonville, Museum of Contemporary Art
Münster, Skulpture Projects in Munster

1999

Thun, Kunst Museum, Stille Wasser, 7 Raume, 7 Kunstler un Franz Gertsch

2000

Francoforte, Museum fur Moderne Kunst
Basilea, Museum fur Gegenwartskunst
Hannover, Sprengel Museum
Austin, Austin Museum of Art, The New Frontier, Art and television 1960-65

2001

Bilbao, Guggenheim Bilbao
Denver, Denver Art Museum, Collecting Ideas: Works from the Pollu and Mark Addison Collection
Ferrara, Galleria Civica d’arte moderna, L’arte elettronica, metamorfosi e metafore

2002

New York, P.S.1. Contemporary Art Center, Video acts, single channel works from the collections of Pamela and Richard Kramlich and new Art Trust
Francoforte, Museum fur Moderne Kunst
Duisburg, Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Fluxus und Videoskulptur

2003

Vienna, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, X-screen, Film Installations and Actions in the 1960s and 1970s

2004

Barcellona, Fundaciò Juan Mirò, Woman, metamorphosis of modernity
Rio de Janeiro, Museu de Arte Moderna, Encontros con o modernism
Berlino, Hamburger Bahnof, Friederich Christian Flick Collection
New York, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Becoming father, becoming Infant
Amsterdam, World Wide Video Festival
Tokyo, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Art & Life
Tokyo, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Nam June Paik, Fabrice Hybert

2005

Vienna, Kunsthalle, Superstars
Rivoli, Castello di Rivoli, Dall’occhio elettronico
Kassel, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Jahre-Years documenta 1955-2005
Amsterdam, Netherlands Media Art Institute Montevideo, Wonderwall

2006

Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de arte Reina Sofia, First Generation. Art and the Moving Image 1963-1986
Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, The New Media Collection 1965-2005
Zurigo, Kunsthalle, The Expanded Eye
Berlino, Neue nationalgalerie
Francoforte, Schirn Kunsthalle, Nothing

2007

Siviglia, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contempotraneo, Fluxus, una larga historia con muchos nudos, Allemania 1962-1994
Melbourne, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Centre Pompidou. Video Art 1965-2005

2009

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Open television
Yogin, Nam June Paik Art Center, Exposition of mythology. Electronic technology
Roma, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Macro, Summer in Rome
San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Art of participation, 1950 to now

2010

Colonia, Museum Ludwig, Moving Images, Artist & Video-Film

2011

Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Video, an art, a History, 1965-2010
Parigi, Musée National d’Art Moderne-Centre de creation industrielle, Video et après

2013

Beirut, Beirut Art Center, Video Vintage 1963-1983

2015

Lione, MAC, Ce fabulex monde moderne
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, America is hard to see
Washington, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Watch This! Revelations in Media Art

2018

Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today