Amanda Kim’s captivating new film Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV arrives in cinemas and On Demand this week and to celebrate we’ve created a list of docs to watch that spotlight trailblazing artists. Scroll below to see our lineup.
Often referred to as the "Godfather of Video Art", Nam June Paik was one of the founding fathers of avant-garde art in the 20th century and arguably the most famous Korean contemporary artist. For the first time, debut filmmaker Amanda Kim profiles his art and life, telling the story of Paik’s meteoric rise in the New York art scene and his Nostradamus-like visions of a future.
Watch the trailer and click the button below to find your nearest cinema and book tickets.
1. KUSAMA: INFINITY (2018)
Kusama: Infinity explores Yayoi Kusama’s fierce determination to become a world-renowned artist. Kusama was born into a conservative family in rural Japan and she made her way to America on the heels of WWII. There, without connections and speaking only broken English, she devoted herself to her one true love, making art. On her first day in New York, Kusama has stated that she climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, looked down upon the city below, and made a decision to stand out from everyone she saw below and become a star.
2. MARINA abramovic: the artist is present (2012)
Seductive, fearless, and outrageous, Marina Abramović has been redefining what art is for nearly 40 years. Using her own body as a vehicle, pushing herself beyond her limits – and at times risking her life in the process – she creates performances that challenge, shock, and move us. Marina Abramović the Artist is Present follows the artist as she prepares for what may be the most important moment of her life: a major new retrospective of her work, taking place at The Museum of Modern Art.
3. CUTIE AND THE BOXER (2013)
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband’s assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own. Cutie and the Boxer captures two lives united by a dedication to art-making for a touching meditation on the eternal themes of love and sacrifice.
4. Peggy Guggenheim: art addict (2015)
Lisa Immordino Vreeland follows up her acclaimed debut Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel with Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict. A colourful character who was not only ahead of her time but helped to define it, Peggy Guggenheim was an heiress to her family fortune who became a central figure in the modern art movement. As she moved through the cultural upheaval of the 20th century, she collected not only art but artists.
Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV is in cinemas and On Demand from 19 May.