The start of video art

PARIS - Nam June Paik (1932-2006)’s “TV Rodin”(1976-8) is now on display at Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art museum that opened in late October and soon emerged as one of the hottest venues for art fans visiting Paris.

The Korean-born Paik’s work is part of the museum’s second show of its collection, which started on Dec. 17 and runs through March 30.

Regarding the work, the museum said on its website, “Influenced by Zen and Eastern philosophies, this series of works, which combine TV monitors, sculptures and cameras, invite the viewer to share a contemplative experience with neither beginning nor end, in a closed-circuit installation where the sculptures stand forever in front of their own image, captured live by a video camera. In ‘TV Rodin,’ he transforms the figure of introspection [which Rodin had originally intended to include in The Gates of Hell] into a Narcissus troubled by his own identity.”

In memory of Paik, who passed away nine years ago last Wednesday, Korean museums are also holding exhibitions of his work. They include the “W3” show, which runs until March 15 at Hakgojae Gallery in central Seoul, and the “TV is TV” exhibition, which runs until June 21 at Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi.

By Moon So-young