Video art
Video art is a contemporary art genre that emerged prominently in the 1960s and 1970s, characterized by the use of moving images as a primary medium. As technology has advanced, video art has evolved into a rich field of creativity that often incorporates electronic and digital tools, allowing artists to either create elaborate productions or simple projects on various budgets. It frequently blurs the lines between different artistic disciplines and can exist as standalone pieces or as part of larger video installations. Influential figures in this movement include pioneering artists such as Nam June Paik, Andy Warhol, and Joan Jonas, who have shaped the development of video art through their innovative approaches and diverse influences.
The genre is defined by its abstract nature, often lacking a conventional narrative or storyline, which enables a broad exploration of themes and concepts. Video art has also been significantly impacted by globalization and the internet, fostering a dynamic interconnectivity that allows artists to share their visions across cultural boundaries. Over the years, the theoretical frameworks surrounding video art have evolved, reflecting shifts in artistic thought from structuralism to post-modernism and beyond. Today, video art continues to expand, offering a platform for experimental expression and engaging with contemporary social and cultural issues.
Video art
Video art is an art genre that came into prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. Art as a moving image became a popular medium. As the electronic and digital imaging revolution has swept the world, video art has become an open experience of creativity and innovation. Video art makes use of the latest in electronic technology. Tools at the fingertips of the video artist include a range of materials and the means to use strategical methodologies to implement art. Video art may be an elaborate act of creative production, utilizing extraordinary media tools, or it may be a simple project that comes to fruition on the lowest budget. Videographic images may be utilized as a stand-alone artistic creation as a video art production or interplayed with other performance media. Video installations are an outcome of video art.
Brief History
The happenings, a performance genre beginning in the late 1950s and 1960s, were the breeding ground for an open arts experience that would pave the way for video art, installations, and performances at various sites. Happenings were a spontaneous type of performance art where there were no boundaries between artists and audience. The mixing of different media in the arts category has been a vital way of creative expression since the early happenings and performance art and has a significant impact on video art. Andy Warhol, Wolf Vostel, and Nam June Paik are key figures in the video art movement.
Art—and particularly video art and video installations—in the twenty-first century is a dynamic field of ever-changing possibilities and opportunities. Digital imaging and the Internet are part and parcel of the contemporary video art genre.
Globalization
The world has decreased in size because of phenomenal advances in technology and the concomitant globalization. Geographical boundaries have all but disappeared, and this has dramatically altered the way in which video artists are able to link experiences and reveal visual culture in a global connecting sense. The interconnectivity between people over space, both with regard to the Internet and movement via travel, has resulted in a profound mix of artistic input. Influences are wide-ranging as is the vocabulary the artists cultivate to present their visions through the video medium.
Theoretical Concepts
The theoretical constructs that underpin a work of video art are dependent on the time frame in which they were created. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the predominant theoretical construct was structuralism. In the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the move toward post-modernism occurred. In the late twentieth century, semiotics as well as feminism and the notion of gender constructs were an often utilized framework for initiating art matter. As the new millennium of the twenty-first century came into being, academic and art theories transitioned. The concept of post-colonialism was raised, together with concerns about post-medium issues. Relational aesthetics also came to the fore as a critical theory, impacting the aesthetics versus social effect in the art work. Further, radical globalization altered the way the world and communication were perceived. The Internet and the technological explosion have played a massive role on what it means to be a creative artist and how this can be manifested.
Overview
Video art generally has no narrative. The subject matter may be abstract with no set characters or story line. Video installation is an extension of the same genre, becoming increasingly popular and prevalent in the twenty-first century. Famous artists who have cultivated the video art framework include Andy Warhol, Wolf Vostell, Nam June Paik, Peter Campus, Joan Jonas, Bill Viola, and Christian Jankowski.
Andy Warhol
The American artist and icon Andy Warhol (1928-1987) began his career as a commercial artist and focused on pop paintings in the late 1950s and early 1960s. By the mid-1960s, Warhol entered the field of performance art, creating a multi-media performance event incorporating music and art. Warhol famously questioned the necessity of boxing oneself into one type of artistic medium or style. He foresaw the freedom of moving between artistic styles and creating an entirely new picture of what would be considered art. His venture into experimental films and video art personifies the artistic spirit which he valued.
Wolf Vostell
Wolf Vostell (1932-1998) was a Berlin-born video artist who took to the streets in the 1950s to engage in performance happenings. As one of the first video artists, Vostell interspersed sociopolitical commentary amid his penchant for public spaces and art.
Nam June Paik
Nam June Paik (1932-2006), born in Seoul, Korea, is hailed in the art world as one of the fathers of video art. His visionary outlook and innovative artistic expression manifest in video art that blurs the lines between ranges of disciplines. Science meets fine art, and popular culture moves through his work to create a visual vocabulary that is new and technologically groundbreaking. Furthermore, his collaborations with choreographers John Cage and Merce Cunningham created an interplay between dance and art.
Peter Campus
The American video artist Peter Campus (b.1937), initially an experimental psychology student, moved into the emerging field of using electronic technology to portray perceptual and cognitive examples of the central nervous system. Television, at the time of the 1950s, was still a relatively new medium; video was to follow as a way of blending art in a real-time experience. Campus's interweaving of his psychology background together with his filmmaking and visual art proficiency makes him a unique video artist.
Joan Jonas
Joan Jonas (b. 1936), born in New York and living between this city and Nova Scotia, Canada, is one of the pioneers of performance and video art. Her artistic prowess conflates drawing, installation, sculptures, and video. Jonas regularly collaborates with musicians and dancers, creating improvisatory performance pieces integrating art and theater, culture and politics.
Bill Viola
Bill Viola (b. 1951), an American video and sound installation artist, was introduced to integrating art and electronic media as a student. His work in visual mediation is influenced by musical composers, as well as drawing on cultural experiences garnered during travels. Viola's video installations have evoked Eastern philosophy, human experience, and closely observed moments in time slowed down in the video presentation mode.
Christian Jankowski
Christian Jankowski (b. 1968) is a Berlin-based video installation artist whose work is influenced by the commercial television industry. Jankowski takes the concept of images in the media and questions the role of art in society. He has developed a style of synthesizing performance elements through an approach mixing sculptures, photographs, videos, and site-specific installations.
Pipilotti Rist
Pipilotti Rist (b. 1962) is a Swiss-based visual artist known for creating experimental video and installation art. Rist has commented on the flexibility and freedom visual art gives her to incorporate any and everything she wants. Her art overlaps images to create a multi-sensory experience.
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