Nam June Paik
Born – Korea 1932
Nam June Paik studied music and musical theory in Tokyo, graduating in aesthetics. Toward the end of the 1950s he travelled to Germany where he encountered John Cage and began his career as a composer and performer of avant-garde music. His activities achieved attention via his involvement in the early 1960s with the group of conceptual artists and pets who formed the Fluxus movement. The extravagant performance pieces he created were the beginning of his exploration into the visual potential of music. He moved to New York in 1964 and has since become widely recognized for his large-scale, often overwhelming sculptures constructed from television sets and video monitors. By experimenting with this medium he fused art with modern communications technology, while resisting the elitism and ideology which attached itself to fine art production. His innovative work appeals to a wide audience. Polaris uses flashy, computer-driven electronics to make a statement. The artist incorporates imagery that combines the past with the present and the East with the West, referring to contemporary themes confronting global culture and civilization.
Masterpieces:
- Fin-De-Siecle II
- WAIS Station Tower
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About nam june paik
Nam June Paik
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The Worlds of Nam June Paik
Nam June Paik
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Nam June Paik: Exposition of Music, Electronic Television, Revisited
Manuela Ammer
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