Nam June Paik‘s been called the “father of video art.” And he was — but he was so much more.
He held PhDs in Renaissance music and philosophy, spoke a dozen languages, and headed a 1960s avant-guard art movement called Fluxus that counted Yoko Ono among its members. His early art was excoriated by art critics, but his later work — from an installation featuring a Buddha propped in front of a television to his cutting-edge work with video and music — was beloved. Some called it visionary.
Sixteen years after his death, a new documentary, “Moon is the Oldest TV,” examines his life through newsreels, interviews, video clips and recordings. Host Robin Young talks to filmmaker Amanda Kim about Paik’s life.
Nam June Paik (Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum)
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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