Nam June Paik passed away

January 30, 2006 3:36 PM

Nam June Paik passed away on Sunday. We'll read educated commentaries in the next few days, but what I most affectionately remember about him is how his work made me laugh happily during the 70s and 80s. A precursor of video art, he was the first to use plugged tv sets as building blocks in the most playful ways. His TV Buddha is arguably an unsurpassed classic (a motionless moving image, an outside observation of an inner meditation, even -why not?- a premonition of a blogger) (this last one is a joke: I told you Paik made me laugh). R.I.P.
posted by bru (34 comments total)

He was marvelous.

[bow]

I saw his TV flag maybe 20 years ago, and it has stuck in my mind as one of the loveliest and wittiest pieces of contemporary art I've seen.
posted by digaman at 3:44 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by Manhasset at 3:53 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by trip and a half at 3:59 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by minkll at 4:00 PM on January 30, 2006

Well, shit. I have a lot of memories tied to his work. He was great, and will be missed sorely.
posted by milquetoast at 4:01 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by AuntLisa at 4:02 PM on January 30, 2006

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I loved the TV flag, the video ball, the TV Buddha, all of it. He'll be missed.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 4:40 PM on January 30, 2006

Oh damn.

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posted by jokeefe at 4:51 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by dontoine at 5:26 PM on January 30, 2006

My favorites were the moving works with lasers, prisms, and mirrors, e.g., here.
posted by exogenous at 5:30 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by anda L. at 5:33 PM on January 30, 2006

Oh man, this sucks. I went to his retrospective a few years back at the Guggenheim. He was really a genius. He was doing stuff with primitive video technology that still blows away most of the installation work around today.

He epitomized the spirit of "serious play" that I admire so much.
posted by lumpenprole at 5:36 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by ruby.aftermath at 5:52 PM on January 30, 2006

I was just thinking about "TV Flag" the other day. This is sad news, but he's left some amazing stuff behind.
posted by bardic at 6:13 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by R. Mutt at 6:24 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:24 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by shoepal at 6:26 PM on January 30, 2006

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I love his work.
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:55 PM on January 30, 2006

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[& this site has a nice grouping of his work, including some films...]
posted by lilboo at 6:55 PM on January 30, 2006

ubuweb has some inspiring examples
of Paik's work available.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:11 PM on January 30, 2006

I also went to see his work at the Guggenheim a few years back. It was my first major exposure to avant-garde work, and that experience was a major part of me taking up an interest in art in general.

He will be missed.
posted by antiform at 7:36 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by drumcorpse at 8:38 PM on January 30, 2006

This is a shame. Given his graceful, clever and forward-thinking use of new technologies in his work, I would have loved to have seen what he would do with say electronic ink or paper-thin LEDs...

Rest in Peace.
posted by verysleeping at 9:09 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by fungible at 9:15 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by teletype1 at 10:29 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by dbiedny at 10:34 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by stockguy at 10:49 PM on January 30, 2006

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posted by May Kasahara at 6:32 AM on January 31, 2006

I just found out about him yesterday! My lab was just naming a machine, and we pick "technology" oriented artists as our machine names... So now the paik box is a teeny tiny memorial I guess.

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posted by zpousman at 6:33 AM on January 31, 2006

I met him a few times. Truly an amazing and special person and a total weirdo. He will be missed.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2006

His Metrobot sculpture is unique in conservative Cincinnati.
posted by tizzie at 8:09 AM on January 31, 2006

I heard the news while sitting in my video class.

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posted by drezdn at 9:28 AM on January 31, 2006

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posted by nobody at 10:39 AM on January 31, 2006

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posted by matteo at 12:05 PM on February 1, 2006