the rix mix

Nam June Paik made delightful, visionary art. He had a wonderful sense of humor. But in his beguiling use of technology he could also demonstrate how easily we were bamboozled by "media." His art was visually arresting, aurally challenging, often plainly beautiful. It was usually meditative: Nam June Paik dared us to linger on the surface of his work without becoming a participant in it. Impossible, even if one walked away from it. He had a lot of influence on "popular" art; he helped to erase those kinds of borders. When I first encountered him, he had been around for over a decade & was truly radical to my forming sensibilities. How, I wondered, can one make art more conventional or traditional than this yet not in opposition to it?* I always picture Nam June Paik smiling.

*I never resolved this. But at the time, it was like standing at the edge of an abysmal crevice & the choice was between jumping across or backing away. Gradually, I realized how fortunate I was to have come to that place, as I met more artists who were afraid to go anywhere near it.