A pioneer of video art, Nam June Paik went beyond exploring the specific qualities of video imagery to investigate the devices that produce and reproduce them: cameras and televisions, which feature prominently in many of his installations, sculptures, and performances. Paik also lived in Japan, Germany, and the United States and was a key figure in the international Neo-Dada Fluxus collective.
Global Groove is an iconic piece in the history of video art, expressing Paik’s utopian vision for the future of television. This “glimpse of the audiovisual landscape of tomorrow” is a dizzying juxtaposition of images that fosters cultural exchange between East and West and blends entertainment and avant-garde aesthetics through the use of typical analog video techniques. Guided by music and dance, the piece features Paik’s collaborators, such as poet Allen Ginsberg, artist John Cage, choreographer Merce Cunningham, and musician Charlotte Moorman, who plays the famous TV Cello (1971)—a cello made of television sets.
Leo Felipe
Nam June Paik (South Korea, 1932-2006) pioneered video art and video installation. Working in audiovisual and performance, he explored new forms of digital expression, influencing contemporary art and media history. His sculptures, installations, and single-channel videos comprise one of the most influential bodies of work in electronic art. Paik participated in the Venice Biennale and had major retrospectives at the Whitney Museum and the Guggenheim. Today, his works are in collections from institutions such as MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Nam June Paik Art Center in South Korea. He lived most of his life in New York, United States.
