Rome’s Sistine Chapel underwent a substantial and widely debated restoration process in the 1980s. Paik, when invited with artist Hans Haacke to represent Germany at the 1993 Venice Biennale, reimagined the iconic Vatican landmark as it was before restoration, swapping its biblical references with pop stars and using more than forty state-of-the-art video projectors. “Venice, the historic site of excessive riches of centuries of global commerce, provided the ideal stage for Paik’s updated take on the circulation of images and immaterial goods in contemporary society,” says Frieling.

Paik’s Sistine Chapel consists of fast-paced and overlapping images that completely cover the gallery walls and ceiling—one of the most underappreciated parts of architecture, according to Paik. With its electronic visuals and booming audio, interspersed with periods of silence, the immersive installation stands in stark contrast to the experience of its namesake.

Source: SFMOMA