The South Korean video artist Nam June Paik liked to introduce himself as a “poor man from a poor country”—a curious claim from a man who came from one of Korea’s wealthiest families. He distanced himself from his dominant father, became a Marxist and left for Germany to study music history and composition. In 1958, a performance by the avant-garde composer John Cage marked a turning point in his life. His chance attendance of this concert gave Paik the courage to shape his artistic oeuvre in complete freedom.
The rest is fascinating art history, entertainingly chronicled in this documentary. Like a Greek chorus, art historians, contemporaries and friends sing the praises of Paik’s work, his contribution to the Fluxus movement and his striking personality. “Television is a dictatorial medium,” he believed, with the potential to undermine democracy, just like nationalism and overconfidence in technology. His answers to these threats appear in numerous archival images. Initially, critics accused him of lacking depth and talent. This rich portrait shows that Paik was far ahead of his time.
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