Taken by Manfred Montwé, To be Naked and Look at Yourself was one of the works featured in Nam June Paik’s first solo show, Exposition of Music — Electronic Television held at Galerie Parnass, Wuppertal, in March 1963. In the gallery’s library, Paik installed pieces of mirrored foil in gold, silver, and red from the ceiling to the floor, some of which were crumpled and wrinkled. This work was inspired by Ed Kiënder’s work: the artist placed rolled up mirrored foil that reflected the surrounding space, which formed an image of a still life. Paik encouraged viewers to lock themselves in the library and spend some time naked, watching their distorted reflections on the thin foils. A fan heater was installed in the middle of the room so that people could feel the warmth between their legs. Foil fragments were also used in other parts of the exhibition, including the floor of the Klavier Intégral section, on one of which a violin was placed, as well as mirrors placed in front of the experimental televisions, where elements of ‘self-reflection’ was inserted in the space.
