On January 29, to mark the 19th anniversary of Nam June Paik’s passing, the Nam June Paik Art Center published the “Technical Report on the Art of Nam June Paik I” online to support the research and preservation of his works.

The report selects 15 major media works from the Nam June Paik Art Center’s collection and provides an in-depth technical analysis, systematically documenting their components, production techniques, installation manuals, maintenance guidelines, and strategies for preservation and restoration.

Since detailed technical manuals for the installation and operation of Paik’s works are scarce, maintaining and preserving his artworks has become increasingly challenging due to technological changes.

For instance, in 2020, his iconic work Dadaikseon (多多益善, The More, The Better) (1988) underwent preservation and restoration efforts after its CRT monitors failed. However, as identical replacement monitors were no longer available, repairs had to be carried out using second-hand monitors and parts.

This report is the first attempt to systematically explore the technical principles and characteristics of Paik’s media artworks while compiling structured guidelines for their installation and maintenance. A second volume, “Technical Report on the Art of Nam June Paik II,” is scheduled for publication in the second half of this year.

The report is available for download as a PDF file on the Nam June Paik Art Center’s website.

References

• 백남준아트센터, [출판] 백남준 예술―기술 보고서 Ⅰ (Nam June Paik Art Center, [Publication] Technical Report on the Art of Nam June Paik Ⅰ)
• 인천일보, 백남준아트센터, '백남준 예술 기술보고서I' 온라인 발간, 2025.01.31

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.