Blog Post – Week 6

Week 6 – Analogue Video

Nam June Paik – TV Buddha, 1974

Who is the practitioner and when were they practicing?

The practitioner in this example is Nam June Paik (1932-2006), a Korean American artist credited with the foundation of “video art”, being active between 1963 and 2004. Nam had a unique art style, using technology and electronics to create his works, and was also influenced by the Fluxus movement, an artistic movement aiming to make art more available to the masses by focussing more on the artistic process rather than the final product.

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse?

The video I have chosen to analyse is TV Buddha, an installation made many times in different permutations around the world. The specific example I am using for this analysis is the one owned by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/342.2011.a-f/

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced?

This video installation was originally made in 1974 and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but the NSW version I am using as an example was created in 1976.

How was the photo or video authored?

The video consists of a wooden Maitreya (Buddha of the Future) statue sat upon a white block looking at a round analogue television set, with a CCTV camera on a tripod behind the TV set looking back at the Buddha statue, making the statue both the object and the subject of the work. The sparse nature of the installation and the inherent quietness of such an apparently simple work makes it feel quite isolating, with the closeup of the statue’s face on the television set giving an almost uncomfortable vibe. The nature of the analogue video reacting immediately to changes in the camera also gives the inanimate object life and presence, as if conditions change, the piece reflects that.

How was the photo or video published?

This video is, by it’s nature, live, with recordings of the screen existing but missing the point of the work. The live feedback loop of the camera looking at the statue looking at the screen showing the video of the statue makes the video entirely reliant on the existence of these artefacts in a specific location, with the analogue nature of the video adding to the fleeting existence of the work over time.

How was the photo or video distributed?

The video has been distributed all over the world in museum and art gallery exhibitions, as the piece is more an arrangement of objects rather than one specific artefact, reflecting the Dadaist and Fluxus inspirations Nam had. The NSW Art Gallery version of the TV Buddha installation has its statue signed by Nam, providing some practical link back to the artist, but otherwise it is just one of many sets of television sets, CCTV cameras and Buddha statues arranged by Nam, found all over the world.

References:

Public Delivery. 2019. Nam June Paik’s TV Buddhas – His Best-Known Work. [online] Available at: <https://publicdelivery.org/nam-june-paik-tv-buddha/>.

Artgallery.nsw.gov.au. 2020. TV Buddha, (1976) By Nam June Paik. [online] Available at: <https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/342.2011.a-f/?tab=about>.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *