Nam June Paik

A rare artist record and sonic memoir. Published in 1977 in an edition of only 100 copies, hand numbered and signed by the artist on the record label. The B-side features grey/black art by Nam June Paik. This extraordinary document captures Paik performing his radical reinterpretation of Arnold Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht at a Merce Cunningham dance event—playing the original 78 RPM record at 16 RPM, four times slower than intended. Paik writes in the liner notes: "In 2 weeks I will be 45. It is time for Archeology of Avantgarde." He recounts his early obsession with Schoenberg in 1940s Korea, where only Japanese books printed before World War II were available. Hearing Schoenberg's name around 1947, Paik was immediately fascinated—Schoenberg was described as a devil, the most extreme avant-garde. After years of desperate struggle, Paik finally found the only available record released in pre-war Japan: Verklärte Nacht. "I will not forget forever the excitement of holding this fragile 78 RPM record in my hand like a jewel from Egyptian tomb. And I cannot forget the disappointment of this record, which was purely a Wagnerian Quatsch." Twenty-five years later, Paik found the same record in a New York flea market and performed his radical intervention. Merce Cunningham smiled and said: "You improved Schoenberg." This work embodies Paik's approach to technology as transformation, his playful subversion of high modernism, and his lifelong dialogue with the historical avant-garde. As both personal archaeology and conceptual sound piece, My Jubilee Ist Unverhemmet stands as one of Paik's most intimate and radical artist records. With only 100 signed and numbered copies in existence, this is an exceptionally rare document.