AIC's 41st Annual Meeting

This paper, which is about mounting a complex exhibition, will highlight the efforts made to preserve and restore Nam June Paik’s Archive and artwork. The influence of the artist’s own philosophy about materials and the role of curatorial interpretation will be integral to the discussion of the conservation and restoration work carried out for the exhibition “Nam June Paik: Global Visionary”.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired the Nam June Paik Archive in 2009. Nam June Paik (1932-2006) transformed video into an artist’s medium and has had a major influence on late 20th century art and continues to inspire living artists. The Nam June Paik Archive includes works of art in various media such as paintings, drawings on newspapers and paper, sculptures, videos and televisions. In addition, there are numerous materials the artist collected for future artworks. Electronic media for presenting the artist’s video installations makes up a large part of the archive.

Materials from the archive as well as from the permanent collection of the museum will be on display in the exhibition “Nam June Paik: Global Visionary” from December 2012-August 2013. The work done by a team of designer, curators, an electronics integrator, and conservators will be presented. Considerations and decisions made about the display of both archive material and electronic media will be discussed. The various ways in which the museum collaborated with other institutions in securing loans will also be addressed. The restoration of electronic media including multi-channel installations of Electronic “Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii“ and “Megatron/Matrix” will be reviewed and evaluated. The restoration of a robot assemblage, made of composite materials and television screens, will help illustrate how artwork is appropriated for Social Media purposes in promoting an exhibition.