Nam June Paik

Nam June Paik (July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was born in Seoul, South Korea and graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1956. Early on, Paik was trained as a classical pianist but today, he is widely considered the father of video art. His art always contains televisions with video and music. They are intricate pieces with each television screen displaying something that is an important part of the piece. Many of his works are recognized around the world. I see most of his pieces as social commentaries that play on the dominance of media and television today. Paik is also credited with coining the phrase, “super highway.” His piece “Electronic Superhighway” is now currently at the Smithsonian museum of art. It’s an incredible display of the diversity throughout our country. He knew that each state held something to heart that they believed was their own while still being a part of a greater whole. The television screens show a variety of these things that have importance in each state. The colorful lights represent the highways that allow us to travel coast to coast and see what the many states have to offer. Paik also knew that film and television were vastly influential on our culture and it remains so today.