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Nam June Paik

Posted by Scott






Nam June Paik (1932-2006) was a Korean-born American multimedia artist. He apparently holds the particular lofty title of “first video artist” (Wikipedia). I recently came across his work and have been in awe of it ever since. TV Buddha (1974) particularly caught my eye; I’d love a copy of the photo.

Nam June Paik

8 Comments Leave A Comment

1

Ryan Lee says:

January 26, 2011 at 7:55 am

I helped install the ‘TV Buddha’ piece at an exhibition last year. The camera stopped working, and it was intimidating to troubleshoot an a/v piece ostensibly worth more than a house.

The museum electrician had no such qualms though, and we got it working. Great piece from a fascinating artist.

5

Wim says:

January 26, 2011 at 1:40 pm

This artist was in the ‘Bozar’ a few years back. It was amazing. Since then I started following him. I really recomend seeing his work if you get the chance.

6

Joel Nealy says:

January 26, 2011 at 6:41 pm

I recall seeing this exhibit as a teenager at the Guggenheim in NYC. I was fascinated by all the interesting patterns the TV’s made when they were exposed to the different magnets.

I recall thinking to myself, “If this is art…the sky is the limit for me”.

7

Paul Hess says:

January 27, 2011 at 11:03 am

The third image above, titled in this post as “tv-magnet,” is stunning in person. I thought I had experienced a Nam June Paik exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art but after reading Joel’s post it may have been the Guggenheim.