The Nam June Paik Art Center in Gyeonggi Province has announced its first major exhibition of 2024, Random Access Project 4.0, which will run until June 29. Known for spotlighting groundbreaking contemporary art, the exhibition brings together the work of seven teams of emerging artists from Korea and abroad, continuing the experimental legacy of Nam June Paik (1932–2006), the pioneer of media art.

Held in the second exhibition hall of the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, this year’s Random Access Project 4.0 showcases 14 works that explore complex intersections between technology, society, and human experience. Participating artists include Go Yo Son, Kim Ho Nam, Sarut Supasuthivech, Yantu, Jang Han Na, Jung Hye Sun & Yuk Sung Min, and Han Woo Ri—each of whom engages with the critical spirit of Paik’s groundbreaking media art.

The title Random Access Project pays homage to Nam June Paik’s first solo exhibition Exposition of Music – Electronic Television (1963), where he introduced the work Random Access. This iconic piece challenged traditional modes of perception and marked a defining moment in the birth of media art. Like Paik, the artists in this exhibition question societal conventions and probe the hidden structures behind modern civilization.

The exhibition presents a range of themes that reflect the multifaceted challenges of our digital age. Artist Yantu explores the relationship between art and global capitalism by repurposing Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)—typically used in logistics warehouses—as part of his installation, raising questions about labor, automation, and technology. Kim Ho Nam visualizes the operational dynamics of undersea fiber-optic cables, the backbone of global internet networks, offering a critique on society’s dependence on invisible infrastructures and the alienation it creates.

Han Woo Ri juxtaposes outdated projection technologies with mythological narratives to highlight the paradoxes within modern technological civilization. Sarut Supasuthivech focuses on the distortion of local histories and identities under the influence of global media, drawing attention to how narratives are often shaped—or warped—by external forces.

Meanwhile, the collaborative duo Jung Hye Sun & Yuk Sung Min, alongside artist Jang Han Na, explore the possibilities of coexistence between humanity, nature, and technology. Go Yo Son pushes the boundaries of sculpture by transforming spectators into integral parts of the artwork, thereby blurring the line between viewer and creator.

The Nam June Paik Art Center emphasized that the exhibition not only serves to disseminate Paik’s artistic philosophy globally but also functions as a cultural incubator for future innovators. “Through Random Access Project 4.0, we aim to continue Nam June Paik’s mission of pushing artistic boundaries and to foster the next generation of media artists who will shape the future,” the Center stated.

This latest edition of the Random Access Project reaffirms the Nam June Paik Art Center’s role as a hub for experimental art and positions the exhibition as a platform for critical dialogue about the evolving relationship between technology and society.

Sayart / Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com