"Candle TV" 1980
Nam June PAIKAn old style cathode-ray tube television set is eviscerated, a lit candle replacing the technology, and fomenting poetic impressions. The television, the unblinking eye shining on global society and its spaces, embodying the mass media since the 1950s, becomes like a gentle sky here, the candle light softly projecting the shadow of the television frame into the space. The television, typically continuously transmitting information is converted into the television frame, emitting a constantly varying, flickering light. It creates a playful, witty mood, like a Zen "koan" riddle, or meditation. This device is also a radical reversal of the camera obscura. Collection of the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art. ProfileNam June PAIK (b. Seoul, South Korea, 1932, died Miami, USA, 2006). From the 1950s PAIK was active in the NY creative scene, and is perhaps best known today as the first video artist. A participant in the Fluxus movement, his playful approach towards technology is seen to have contributed to his worldwide appeal. From the 80s he developed video installations, satellite broadcast performance events connecting cities and continents, and in 1990 began creating installations using laser beams. His works has been introduced in Japan many times, including a large-scale solo exhibition in 1984 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and solo exhibitions at the WATARI-UM The Watari Museum of Cotemporary Art (in 1993, and post-mortem, in 2006). Past Exhibition / EventCandle will be lit from 2:00 pm on Saturdays,
Sundays and holidays.