Watarium Presents Tokyo Retrospective of Video Pioneer Nam June Paik
Long before smartphones, AI or even color TV were household realities, Korean artist Nam June Paik (1932–2006) was already using monitors, cameras and electronic signals to rethink what art could be. Marking two decades since the media art pioneer’s passing, Watarium is taking a deep look back at his legacy. Paik saw technology as more than a gadget; he saw it as something that could coexist with human nature and philosophy. It’s a prediction that feels sharper now than ever.
Nam June Paik, Tribute to Eiheiji, 1986. Courtesy of Watarium.
The show gathers iconic pieces spanning his career, from early video experiments like Hand and Face (1961) to massive multimedia setups. Highlights include TV Egg (1982), the glowing New Candle (1993) and Time in Triangular (1993), an ambitious setup packing 72 monitors and neon lights. You’ll also find Forest of Cage / Revelation of the Forest (1993), where live house plants grow alongside 23 video screens — a perfect snapshot of his lifelong effort to balance the digital world with the natural one.
