Figure 6
Nam June Paik
b. 1932, Seoul, Korea
Virtually Wise
1994, Twenty-four video monitors, 2 antique radion, 6 antique television cameras, antique brass telephone, 3 telephones, personal items of Howard Wise )Poloroid camera, Poloroid prints, Rolodex, briefcase, callet, papers, buttons and so on); chair and desk: sintra, Plexiglass, aluminum, and plywood; 4 laser disk players; 4 laser disks; 82 x 66 6 66. Collection of David W. Bermant.
A pioneer of video art, Nam June Paik has won international recognition for his video sculptures, performances, installations, and videotapes. His enormous contributions to the history and development of the field have earned him the title, “the father of video art.”
Virtually Wise is a tribute to gallery owner Howard Wise (1903-89), who became a key figure in the history of video art because of his support of artists and groundbreaking exhibitions. Combining some of Wise’s personal effects, such as his briefcase and Rolodex, with childhood home movies and videos by other artists represented by Wise, Paik created a multidimensional portrait of this seminal figure and his legacy.
Pai firmly believes that it is in the innovative convergence of found imagery and objects with the time-lapse quality of video that an artist comes closest to the true nature of portraiture–the depiction not only of a physical likeness, but also the intentions, desires, and achievements of the individual.
–Beth Venn and Cathy Kimball
Photograph: ©1998, Whitney Museum of American Art
Artwork © Nam June Paik.