Hyundai Supports Tate Modern's New Nam June Paik Show

Tate Modern opens a new display of works by Nam June Paik, a worldwide renowned artist widely considered to be the founder of video art. - Hyundai Motor supports Tate Modern’s acquisition of nine key works of the artist.

LONDON -- November 3, 2014: Hyundai Motor Company, the fastest-growing automaker by brand value, continues to build on its partnership with Tate Modern through its support of a new display of works by Nam June Paik, the renowned South Korean artist widely considered to be the founder of video art. Seven of the nine key works of the artist acquired with the support from Hyundai Motor are presented at this display along with three rarely-seen works on paper from the artist’s family. These works span more than 40 years and together they offer visitors a unique overview of Paik’s career.

Nam June Paik was a pioneering figure in multimedia art, who worked with radios, televisions, robotics and computers to explore humanity’s ever-changing relationship with technology. This free display includes Can Car 1963, an early sculpture created from a tin can, an electric motor and a pair of wheels, and Bakelite Robot 2002, a late work made by stacking vintage radios into the shape of a humanoid robot. Also on show are some of Paik’s seminal video installations, which address contemporary issues of authority, perception, the media and surveillance. For example, Nixon 1965-2002 uses electromagnetic coils to warp and distort found footage of former US President Richard Nixon, while Three Eggs 1975-1982 is a CCTV triptych, in which an egg is watched by a video camera and transmitted live to a nearby monitor.

In January 2014, Hyundai Motor signed an 11-year partnership with Tate Modern, one of the most influential modern art museums in the world. It was the longest initial commitment in Tate’s corporate partnership history. Hyundai Motor, with the title of “The Hyundai Commission”, will give global artists a platform to showcase their site-specific installations in the Turbine Hall from 2015 until 2025.

Hyundai Motor Company is also a strong supporter within the Korean art scene. MMCA Hyundai Motor Series, a major part of the 10-year partnership with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), is an unprecedented promotional platform for Korean artists to realize their imagination through exhibition, publication, film, and international seminar.