Watching Buddha
Artist
Nam June Paik
(Korean, 1932 - 2006)
Date1979
MediumMetal Buddha statue, acrylic platform, vintage television set box, inserted more modern television, and video camera
DimensionsAssembled: 31 1/8 × 25 9/16 × 59 1/16 inches (79.06 × 64.93 × 150.02 cm)
Part (buddha): 25 1/2 × 8 × 5 inches (64.77 × 20.32 × 12.7 cm)
Part (platform): 6 × 59 × 25 5/8 inches (15.24 × 149.86 × 65.09 cm)
Part (buddha): 25 1/2 × 8 × 5 inches (64.77 × 20.32 × 12.7 cm)
Part (platform): 6 × 59 × 25 5/8 inches (15.24 × 149.86 × 65.09 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee, in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Object number2009.35.A-K
SignedSigned on back statue with white paint: "PAIK 79"
On View
Not on viewCollections
Description"Watching Buddha" consists of a video camera, video monitor, and metal sculpture of a Buddha. When assembled, the video camera, situated behind and above the video monitor, records the sculpture of Buddha in real time. The signal is fed directly and continuously to the TV, creating a closed circuit image loop.Gallery LabelComposer, philosopher and performer Nam June Paik is considered the father of video art. He discovered the artistic possibilities of video when he began working with a Sony Portapak in 1965. In Watching Buddha, Paik created a closed-circuit system by linking input from the video camera to output from the TV monitor. The juxtaposition between the motionless Buddha and his still, yet continually recorded image makes an ironic statement. It speaks to the Buddha’s meditative, heightened state of mind and the goal of living in the present moment, in contrast to the blank stare and mindlessness of the electronic television monitor. Both meditation and TV viewing alter brainwave activity.
Copyright© Nam Jun Paik Studios, Inc., New York
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