“Artists have always been visionaries. Artists working in America, especially at times of national doubt, have come forward to help reflect the crisis of our current times. Nam June did that for his era when he was working so boldly and with such extraordinary imagination, to lead the world through the revolution of technology, and the revolution of screen culture. What he saw, and the way forward continues to inspire.” — Alexandra Munroe
The monumental Nam June Paik retrospective is now open at the Tate Modern in London through February 20, 2020, before a global, three-year tour. It is widely acknowledged that Paik coined the term “information super highway” in the early 1970s, but his impact as an artist goes far beyond the confluence of art and technology.
Curator and scholar Alexandra Munroe was one of the earliest champions of Paik’s work and as such was one of the first to identify the far-reaching relevance of his work. In this video from her Eyes on Fire series, Munroe discusses how Paik’s message still resonates today.