[ISEA2022] Paper: Byeongwon Ha — Nam June Paik’s Bibimbap Aesthetics as a Korean Reinterpretation of the Gesamtkunstwerk

Abstract 

Remote paper presentations, date: June 10. Session:The space as a representation

Keywords: Nam June Paik, gesamtkunstwerk, bibimpap, viral aesthetics, medium specificity

This paper explores a relationship between Nam June Paik’s bibimbap aesthetics and the Gesamtkunstwerk.

Nam June Paik often describes his mixed media based on bibimbap aesthetics. Bibimbap is a Korean traditional rice dish, which incorporates diverse side dishes as toppings. The discrete beautiful topping pattern on bibimbap becomes a whole new entity by mixing them together. Like bibimbap, Nam June Paik’s art shows creative combinations among a variety of media. Paik’s bibimbap aesthetics is a Korean reinterpretation of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art. This paper explores Paik’s artistic transition from non-mixed media to bibimbap aesthetics as a Korean version of the Gesamtkunstwerk.

For the video recording of the presentation see: Amalia Creus  — Intro, including video of the presentations

  • Byeongwon Ha is an assistant professor in the School of Visual Art and Design at the University of South Carolina, Columbia in the United States. He is an art historian and an artist in the field of new media art. http://bwonha.com