Nam June Paik recognized, at an early stage, the possibilities of mass media and emerging technologies and predicted the impact of global networking through communications before the internet was a thing. Born in Korea, he settled in the United States in 1964 after spending time in Japan (where he trained as a classical musician) and West Germany; his travels, and the connections he made with a wide variety of artists, gave him a uniquely transcultural mindset. But it was a fascination with technology that drove his art. He was an important part of the influential neo-Dada avant-garde group Fluxus that gave him worldwide exposure. “Watchdog II” is one of his “robot” pieces with multiple color television sets (13 in all) of various sizes fixed to an aluminum framework in the shape of a dog. The tv sets play a closed-circuit video loop with images of dogs. The dog’s tail has a surveillance camera at the end and its ears are made of loud speakers. Paik’s creations are entertaining and exhibit his sense of humor; they are also visionary and prescient in their predictions for the future of art.
January's theme: sculpture
NAM JUNE PAIK (1932 – 2006) “Watchdog II”, 1997. Private collection.
Hailed as “the father of video art”, Nam June Paik was a true visionary who incorporated music, performance, technology and film into his artistic practice.
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