Execute Magazine

Artist a Day: Nam June Paik 

Nam June Paik  (1932-2006) 

Nam June Paik was a Korean American conceptual artist who worked with a broad range of media. He is often recognized as the frontiers-person of video art and is also recognized for coming up with the now well-known term 'electronic super highway.'

Li Tai Po

installation , Neo-Dada ,1988

Nam`s Works

Fin de Siecle

installation , Neo-Dada ,1993

Nam`s Works

He's been called the father of video art and is widely known for his use of abstraction on TV and pioneering use of a portable video camera in 1965.

Fractal Flasher

installation , Neo-Dada ,1994

Nam`s Works

Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii

installation , Neo-Dada ,1996

Nam`s Works

Nam June Paik may just come to mind when you think of cutting-edge contemporary art. The pioneering Korean artist is one of the most critical figures in conceptual art, which focuses on ideas rather than materials or form.

Diamond Sat

installation , Neo-Dada ,1998

Nam`s Works

„Our life is half natural and half technological. Half-and-half is good. You cannot deny that high-tech is progress. We need it for jobs. Yet if you make only high-tech, you make war. So we must have a strong human element to keep modesty and natural life.“  —  Nam June Paik

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Arrow

Flower

figurative  , Neo-Dada ,2006

Nam`s Works

His work had a significant impact on the way people looked at the realms of conceptual and visual art in the 20th century.

Robot

installation , Neo-Dada ,1993

Nam`s Works

Allen in Vision

figurative  , Neo-Dada ,1990

Nam`s Works

But Paik's influence is not only felt today - it can be seen everywhere, from cutting-edge multimedia installations to interactive sculptures that blur the line between art and science.

More Log in Less Logging

installation , Neo-Dada ,1993

Nam`s Works

“Nature is beautiful, not because it changes beautifully, but simply because it changes.”  —  Nam June Paik

Evolution, Revolution, Resolution

installation , Neo-Dada ,1989

Nam`s Works

"TV Buddha" is a video sculpture made by Nam June Paik in 1974. The work features a Buddha statue that watches its screen image on television.