From electronic music to electronic image : Nam June Paik’s "Exposition of Music - Electronic Television"

Nam June Paik (1932-2006) is now considered to be the most influential creator in visual arts. He is said to be the first artist who presented television as a source of artistic experience. However, nowadays many people forget about his musical beginnings. Starting as a musician, he was inspired by, for example, John Cage, whose philosophical way of thinking had a positive impact on Paik’s future experiments with music and objects. Exposition of Music - Electronic Television (1963, Wuppertal) was artist’s symbolic transfer from music to visual arts, presenting prepared pianos together with prepared TV’s. The article presents the exhibition as well as the environment created by Paik, showing the equality, importance and impact of two not so different kinds of art.