In the early days of video art, new relationships emerged between artists and television. Thanks to the portable video camera, artists were able to engage more directly with this mass medium: their work could be broadcast on television, or they could create alternative forms of television – anti-television, even. In the 1970s, the activist movement guerrilla television emerged, using video to challenge both established media and political power. Critical commentary also came from the art world, often in a playful manner. Nam June Paik created video works and installations in which the seductive qualities of commercial television combined effortlessly with a distinctly avant-garde visual language.

The works in this room are screened in a loop: Nam June Paik, Global Groove, 1973, video, 28’51’’ (excerpt) / SERVAAS, News Resonance, 1981, video, 2’56’’ / Tom Klinkowstein, 3 Artist On-Line On Slow-Scan-TV, 1980, video, 15’09’’ (excerpt).