The Worlds of Nam June Paik

No artist has had a greater influence in imagining and realizing the artistic potential of video and television than Nam June Paik. Through a vast array of installations, videotapes, global television productions, films and performances, Paik has reshaped our perceptions of the temporal image in contemporary art. The Worlds of Nam June Paik is a celebration of the moving image and an appreciation of Paik’s impact on the art of the late twentieth century. The full range of Paik’s singular achievement is represented‑from his early 1960s performance pieces through his videotapes, installations, megatrons and celebrated robot portraits — including his recent, spectacular laser‑projection installations in the rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. In an informative and personal essay, John G. Hanhardt, a longtime supporter of Paik’s work, provides an overview of the artist’s career while focusing on his important place in the history of the moving image. Also included are a selected exhibition and performance history as well as a selected bibliography.