On view: March 6th - April 18th, 2024

Opening Reception: March 6th, 6 - 8 PM
Tuesday - Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM / Saturday: 11 AM - 5 PM
It is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Venue: Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center New York

122 East 32nd Street, New York, NY, 10016
The Gallery Korea is on the second floor.

John Pai’s 2024 “Eternal Moment” exhibition is an invitation to explore the artist’s profound reflections on life and time.

The exhibition celebrates John Pai’s legacy as a seminal figure in the tapestry of Korean arts in New York City and the world. His life and works reflect the enduring spirit of innovation, artistry, and the rich narrative of Korean history.

This historical retrospective highlights works from Pai’s oeuvre. From his earliest works as a young graduate student at Pratt Institute in the 1960’s with influences from early Constructivism, the show spans over six decades, giving a comprehensive understanding of the vast breadth of Pai’s artistic realm and his unwavering dedication to his craft and vision. Included in this landmark show are excerpts from the artist’s oral history with historian Leyla Vural conducted in the summer of 2021, and the unveiling of an intimate cinematic portrait of the artist, commissioned by the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY).

“Eternal Moment” is an exploration of Pai’s past, present, and future – an insight into the timeless connections that define our shared human experience. Pai’s works are a fitting inauguration for the KCCNY’s new space, as he symbolizes a bridge between the past and future, through his cultural journey and the universal language of art.

John Pai's Artistic Journey with Steel

From the early 1960s to the present, Pai’s sculptures have been meticulously welded together by hand using copper-coated steel rods. Pai chose to work in steel for its humility, flexibility, and adaptability between solid and liquid states. The resulting artworks encapsulate John Pai himself, embodying the artist’s resilient spirit, conscientious nature, and limitless belief in the possibilities of steel.

Beginning from a point in space, Pai creates a dialogue using “a dot, a line, a point of departure with each note building on the next.” Using the simplest shape he allows each moment to resonate in time and space, examining the possibilities of where it might lead. Just as a classical music composer creates rhythm and harmony by drawing notes on a staff, Pai creates his artworks by welding steel rods unit by unit. In doing so, the artist moves between consciousness and subconsciousness, blurring the lines of memory, myth, and history, with no beginning and no end.

“Working is like a private ritual. It brings me back to the idea of reaching a communion with a sense of silence, finding my way within and without it. I have no preconceived idea when I start working. I work and react to what I’ve done. I become comfortable with silence.” -John Pai-

John Pai’s Life as a Korean Diaspora Artist

John Pai was born in Seoul in 1937, the son of Soonoak Choi and Minsoo Pai, educators and independence activists during the Japanese occupation. He spent his early childhood in Seoul and in the mountains of Ilsan, until moving with his family to Wheeling, West Virginia at age 11 just before the start of the Korean War.

In 1950, following decades of Japanese rule, Korea was pushed to the brink of civil war. During this tumultuous time, Pai’s parents established the Good Samaritan Project, working tirelessly to support the people of Korea through the creation of civic and educational programs. At the age of 15, Pai would have his first one-man show at the Oglebay Institute. While his parents returned to Korea in service of their mission, Pai stayed in America to pursue his education, receiving a full scholarship to Pratt Institute.

Pai’s vivid memories from throughout his childhood in Korea and early years in the US have deeply influenced his life and works. He struggled with the decision to choose the path of an artist, which seemed unrelated to the practicalities of life and his family’s humanitarian mission, but ultimately came to believe that he could have the greatest impact through teaching and making art. He would be asked in his senior year of college to design the Korean Pavilion for the 1964 World’s Fair. And one year after Pai received his MFA, at the age of 27, Pai became the youngest professor to teach at Pratt Institute. Soon after he was appointed director of the Division of Fine Arts Undergraduate Sculpture Department, where he would establish a modular curriculum for the newly formed fine arts program at Pratt. He continued to teach until his retirement in 2000, dedicating himself to his art.

Exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, Pai has been commissioned to create outdoor works. Most notably, his largest work “Notes from the Stars” was commissioned by the Seoul Institute of the Arts. The artist's first comprehensive monograph, “Liquid Steel” by John Yau, was released in the fall of 2023 published by Rizzoli Electa. And in May 2024, John Pai will receive an honorary doctorate degree from Pratt Institute for his invaluable academic contribution and artistic achievement at Radio City Music Hall.

A pivotal figure in the evolution of Korean art, John Pai stands alongside Kim Tschang-Yeul, Nam June Paik and his mentor Whanki Kim. Artists who have and continue to shape the history and future of Korean Contemporary Art. “Eternal Moment” is an exploration of the life and work of John Pai and his unique cultural experience, history and perspective.

Featured Artworks (Photo Credit: Geoffrey Quelle)

John Pai: Eternal Moment