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Do you know what is written on Mr. Kim?

The writing on the robot's right side refers to a connection between the artist, Nam June Paik and the subject of this portrait, Kim Yangsoo. It says: "Kim Yangsoo," "Junior classmate," and "Kyunggi High School"

The two attended the same high school, though not at the same time.

Could you tell me more about Nam June Paik?

Nam June Paik was born in Seoul, South Korea. He studied music at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany in 1956 before heading to New York eight years later.

Paik is known as the "father of video art," uniting themes of humanity, physiology, technology, science, and fine art in his works.

Omg you have a Paik!!! My fav!

Yes! Mr. Kim is unusual among Nam June Paik's Robots because it is a portrait of a specific person!

Ooh! Who?

It is the art collector Kim Yangsoo, who went to the same high school as Nam June Paik.

Paik pokes fun at Kim, making the robot short and squat. If this sculpture is any indication, Kim spends much of his time thinking about women, explaining why the video screens show tiny pornographic images.

Love that.

Looking at the Nam June Paik piece. Since this is meant to be an actual portrait, I’m curious about the significance of the content on the center screen....

Ah! Good question. The images in the center are the artists way of conveying Mr. Kim's preoccupation with women. He was apparently always thinking about them.

Hmm apparently!! Thank you!

Tell me more.

I think this robot-man is really fun! This artist, Nam June Paik, is know for making sculptures like this. "Mr. Kim" here is special because it is the only one we know of that is actually meant to be a portrait of someone.

Mr. Kim is a real life friend of the artist. Nam June Paik thinks of him as short and jolly which explains the playful nature of this sculpture.

Tell me more

The radios that the artist used were produced in the United States in the 1950s, but made from imitation red lacquer to make them look more east Asian. This robot is also a portrait of Kim Yangsoo, a Korean art collector, as a short and jolly robot.

Do you know where the videos in "Mr. Kim" by Nam June Paik originated from?

To my knowledge, these videos of nude women were probably taken from pornographic movies. Paik noted that Mr. Kim, the subject of this portrait, was constantly thinking about women.

Interesting. Thank you.

Why is this one showing naked women?

Mr. Kim is unusual among Nam June Paik's Robots because it is a portrait. In this case, art collector Kim Yangsoo, Paik's underclassman at Kyunggi High School and a fellow Korean art enthusiast in the United States. Paik used videos of nudes in several of his works, and he noted that Mr. Kim, the subject of this portrait, was constantly thinking about women.

I have a question about 'Mr. Kim' by Nam June Paik. Are the radios supposed to be making noise? Or are they meant to be silent?

I believe they are meant to be silent but perhaps I've never listened closely enough. Are you hearing something coming from them?

I didn't hear anything!

Ah okay! Yes. While the screens are playing videos, the work doesn't produce sound. His interest in the radios likely stems from his larger interest in the role technology and science play in art. They are also interesting aesthetically as 1950s orientalist imitations of red Chinese lacquer objects made in the United States.

Oooooh okay! Thank you!!

Mr. Kim

Nam June Paik

Asian Art

On View: Asian Galleries, South, 2nd floor

The groundbreaking artist Nam June Paik experimented with video, performance, and transmission technologies throughout his career. For three decades he made sculptures, called Robots, composed of video screens set in discarded televisions, radios, and other household goods. These robots address issues of modernity and dynamism: with their vintage parts, they express a quaint vision of the future that was replaced long ago, and while the robots themselves do not move, the videos playing inside them move constantly. Through this contrast, Paik expresses a common theme that appears throughout his work: that the future of art and technology lies not in solid things but in temporal communications.

Unlike most of Nam Jun Paik’s Robots, this piece is a portrait. It depicts Kim Yangsoo, an impresario and art collector based in Seoul.

ARTIST Nam June Paik, American, born Korea, 1932–2006

MEDIUM Mixed media: vintage radio cases, digital video screens, lightbulbs, wood, pigment

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Possible place made: Korea
Possible place made: New York, New York, United States

DATES 1997

DIMENSIONS 36 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 31 1/2 in. (92 x 32 x 80 cm)

INSCRIPTIONS 김양수 군 경기 따라지 – Kim Yangsoo Goon Gyeonggi Follower (The inscription refers to the fact that Kim Yangsoo, the subject of the sculpture and its donor, attended the same high school, at Gyeonggi, as Paik had, but several years later. "Goon" is a term for a young friend.)

COLLECTIONS Asian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 2017.22

CREDIT LINE Gift of Kim Yangsoo

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION A "Robot" in the shape of a man standing on one foot with two arms raised, composed of six vintage radio cases, two of which have video screens set inside and two of which have light bulbs. The radio bodies are connected by a wood frame that surrounds the central piece. The head and body of the figure are radio cases in red plastic, molded to look like East Asian carved lacquer. Both were made by DuMont Labs (USA) and date to about 1956. The central video screen is set into the space that once held a clock. The videos are identical, and play simultaneously on a loop. They consist of collaged snippets of found footage of nude models, with periodic red target-like graphics radiating across the screen. The figure is said to be a portrait of the donor, Kim Yangsoo, an art collector based in Seoul. Kim met the artist in the early 1990s when Paik had his first major retrospective in Korea. An inscription painted loosely on the sides of the radio housings contains a dedication to Kim Yangsoo.

EXHIBITIONS

Arts of Korea

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Asian Galleries, South, 2nd floor

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.