Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and the Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles) have agreed to enter an exploratory phase of international collaboration and exchange, in the interest of furthering connections between the two institutions and advancing art historical research between Korea and the United States.
 
This collaboration comes at an opportune moment, as ARKO prepares to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the birth of the iconic video artist Nam June Paik in 2032.
 
Starting in Fall 2025, a delegation of ARKO staff members will visit Getty to learn about their archival holdings, research projects, and history of international exchange. Getty staff will then pay a reciprocal visit to ARKO and the Museum Archive at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province to discuss the next steps. 

Additionally, ARKO will fund a pilot program in 2026 for Korean guest researchers to embark on a summer residency at Getty to explore the topic of Paik, his contributions to new directions in modern art in the second half of the 20th century, his connections with a wider international circle of artists, and his legacy. The Getty Research Institute holds strong collections related to these movements and regularly welcomes scholars to consult their rare materials.

“We are delighted to embark on this collaboration with ARKO centered around one of the most important artists of the post-WWII era and the avant-garde movements in which he played an integral part,” shared Andrew Perchuk, Deputy Director of the Getty Research Institute. “International partnerships such as this one serve as powerful ways to demonstrate the global value of the arts and the humanities.”
 
“Art is the common language of humanity that endures through time and across cultures. I hope that the journey that ARKO and Getty will create together, starting with these exchanges, will become a new model of international cooperation that will promote the ability to present our culture through art,” said Byoung-gug Choung, Chairperson, Arts Council Korea. 

These exchanges will lay the ground for further collaboration, with the potential for future convenings, symposia, and possibly exhibitions and publications, held and carried out in Korea and Los Angeles, related to Paik and other topics of mutual interest.

References

• 한국문화예술위원회 보도자료 (Arts Council Korea Press Release)