Poster image of 《Circuits of Chance》 © Nam June Paik Art Center
Nam June
Paik Art Center will present 《Circuits of Chance》
as its first exhibition of 2026, on view from March 19 to June
14. The exhibition has been realized through the longstanding collaboration
between the Nam June Paik Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb.
It
introduces the work of artists primarily from Croatia and explores the points
of resonance with Nam June Paik’s art. While Paik's and Croatian art originate
from different places, they unexpectedly resonate, creating new networks and
forming a space for feedback.
Dalibor Martinis, Open Reel, 1976, Master 1/2", produced by Galleria del Cavallino (restored copy 3’05) © Nam June Paik Art Center
The “New Tendencies” movement, introduced for the first time in
Korea, serves as the starting point for this exhibition. Emerging in the early
1960s, New Tendencies (NT, 1961–1973) began with the deconstruction of
traditional art and bold experimentation with new media. New Tendencies
emphasized active audience participation, defined art as a form of “research,”
and embraced technological progress with striking optimism.
Originating in Zagreb, which briefly became one of Europe’s most
dynamic centers for media and early computer art, the movement brought together
artists, theorists, and engineers from all around the world in a unique spirit
of collaboration. Expanding artistic methodology through the use of computers
and algorithms, New Tendencies laid the conceptual and technological groundwork
for what we now recognize as media art.
Dalibor Martinis, Sanja Iveković, Interview with Paik in Zagreb, 1993 © Nam June Paik Art Center
The exhibition traces the broad currents of art while seeking
points of convergence between Nam June Paik and Croatian media art. During the
period of New Tendencies, these convergences appear as parallel explorations
rather than direct contact, shaped by a shared interest in technology, systems,
and the redefinition of the artwork and its audience.
From the late 1970s onward, these affinities develop into
influential personal encounters and exchanges, notably through interviews. For
later generations, his already-established career becomes a source of
admiration and reference, extending these chance intersections into lasting
networks of artistic relations.
Across these temporal layers—from parallel beginnings, through
direct exchange, to inherited influence—the exhibition reveals how
experimentation with technology, engagement with the viewer, and openness to
chance encounters generate expanding networks of artistic relations and ongoing
possibilities.
Participating Artists: Aleksandar Srnec,
Andreja Kulunčić, Dalibor Martinis, Dan Oki, Darko Fritz, Goran Trbuljak, Ivan
Ladislav Galeta, Ivan Marušić Klif, Ivan Picelj, Katalin Ladik, Koloman
Novak, Marina Abramović, Sandra Sterle, Sanja Iveković, Tomo Savić-Gecan, Vladimir Bonačić
