Experience waves of Fluxus across Korea
By Ines Min
Staff reporter
One of the greatest aspects of an art movement is seeing its continuing ripples of inspiration after it concludes. Fluxus ― an international network formed in the 1960s characterized by artists with malleable definitions of disciplines ― has been noted in history as being years ahead of its time. Today, the style continues to inspire while original proponents take their last stand.
Paik Nam June Art Center
The late Paik Nam June, a leading member of the Fluxus movement, will have been 78-years-old on July 20. In commemoration of the event, his eponymous art center in Gyeonggi Province will hold a special workshop and performance from July 19 to 20.
Monday's workshop will feature a lecture with the 76-year-old Ben Patterson ― a fellow Fluxus artist, musician and friend of Paik ― Tobias Berger and Kim Eun-ji, followed by a Q-and-A session.
Tuesday, Patterson will share his music with the audience in a performance of ``12 Piano Compositions for Nam June Paik,'' a piece by Fluxus member George Maciunas, as well as ``Greetings to Nam June Paik,'' a new work by the double-bass player himself.
Patterson, a constant figure throughout the original movement, helped organize the historical 1962 Fluxus Festival in Weisbaden, Germany. In the late 1960s Patterson went to Paris, managing a variety of music, theater and dance companies while also working as a consultant for art funding at a government organization. After two decades, he returned as an active member of the art community with performances at the Sao Paolo Biennale and new art exhibitions.
The workshop will begin at 3 p.m. on July 19; the performance at 5 p.m. July 20. A free shuttle bus will depart from Seoul for those attending the concert. Reservations must be made by Friday; email
or call (031) 201-8529 for more information.
Gyeonggi Creation Center
Though further away from the core period of Fluxus, myriad artists have gained inspiration from the movement and its members. Joshua Selman ― currently a resident artist at the Gyeonggi Creation Center (GCC) ― is one such creative mind.
The American artist is undertaking a large-scale project: transforming the interior of an unused building on the center's grounds into an exhibition and performance art venue. Selman, accompanied by Brazilian, Dutch and domestic resident artists, is collecting various sounds, images and information around the three-story building in order to create the new work. The method of creating something from existing elements was a key principle for the Fluxus group.
``The process is the art,'' said Ahn Hyun-sook, a staff member at the GCC. She added that though Selman's work may not be as simple as paintings or other mediums, the concept behind it is an experience itself.
Visitors are welcome to view the performance at any time, which runs through Aug. 13. The month-long performance of ``OEM'' (so titled after ``original equipment manufacturer,'' an acronym that implies the creator of a product that is sold by another) will culminate in a two-day open studio show that features all the work of the resident artists.
For those who wish to view the performance, visiting between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. is recommended. For more information visit www.gyeonggicreationcenter.org.