Nam June Paik's 94th birthday celebrated with a shamanistic ritual before 'The More, The Better'

A memorial ritual, known as a 'gut,' will be held on May 20th to celebrate the 94th birthday of Nam June Paik, the visionary media artist who foresaw the digital civilization era. This eight-hour ritual performance, featuring percussion and chanting, will commence at 'The More, The Better,' Paik's largest video sculpture located at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, before moving to the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin.

Paik, who referred to himself as an "art shaman" during his lifetime, previously performed a ritual in 1990 to commemorate German artist Joseph Beuys. This marks the first time a memorial ritual has been held in his honor after his passing. The ceremony, led by percussionist Bang Ji-won, a disciple of the East Coast Byeolsingut (a type of shamanistic ritual), and her troupe, aims to remember the artist and console his spirit.

The ritual will begin at 10:30 AM at the 'The More, The Better' installation, moving through the main hall of the Gwacheon museum before relocating to the Nam June Paik Art Center. Kim Young-sook, a master of the East Coast Byeolsingut who participated in Paik's 1990 performance 'Walking with Wolf: From Seoul to Budapest,' will also join. The center explained that this event, bridging 36 years, will juxtapose the Beuys memorial ritual with Paik's birthday celebration, creating a space where congratulations and the longing for his absence intersect.

This birthday ritual is the culmination of the first Nam June Paik Global Media Art Festival, 'Planet Nam June Paik,' held from May 16th to 20th. The festival aims to revive Paik's artistic spirit through exhibitions, performances, academic programs, and public events, exploring the possibilities of new future cultures. The festival's theme, 'Waiting for UFO,' is inspired by Paik's 1992 artwork of the same name, symbolizing an open mind awaiting signals and new relationships from different times and spaces.

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Nam June Paik was an artist who constantly asked how different humans, cultures, media, and thoughts could meet to create new relationships. We hope 'Planet Nam June Paik' becomes an open space where today's artists, researchers, technicians, and citizens can imagine and meet an unarrived future together.