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Nam June Paik: Video-Art O.G.

Thought punk attitude was born in the 70s? We smash it up with the G.O.A.T

Nam June Paik wasn’t just an artist—he was a time traveler, a prophet of the digital age who saw the future of art before the rest of the world even had the vocabulary to describe it. If Andy Warhol was pop art’s oracle, Paik was its mad scientist, fusing television, sculpture, music, and performance into something the 20th century had never seen before. The term genius is vastly overused in modern deevice culture, but most would agree it applies in the case of NJP.

Born in Korea and trained in classical music, Paik’s journey from composer to media revolutionary feels almost mythic. He studied piano and composition at the University of Tokyo before moving to Germany, where he immersed himself in the experimental music scene. There, he encountered Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage, whose radical ideas about sound and chance deeply influenced him. Paik’s early work included performances where he physically altered pianos, smashing and rewiring them to create new sonic experiences. His meeting with Cage proved pivotal—Paik embraced the idea of breaking artistic conventions, which led him to push beyond music into the realm of video and performance art.

Enter TV Buddha (1974), one of his most iconic works: an ancient Buddha statue meditates in front of a live-feed television, forever caught in a loop of self-observation. It’s a simple but searing commentary on surveillance, technology, and our own screen-based narcissism—decades before the selfie era. And then there’s Electronic Superhighway (1995), a neon-drenched map of the United States pulsating with fragmented video clips, predicting the internet’s explosion with eerie accuracy. Paik saw the pixelated tsunami coming long before it crashed into our daily lives.

But Paik wasn’t just making statements—he was playing, experimenting, tearing down the boundaries between high art and mass media with gleeful abandon. He imagined a world where art wasn’t locked in a museum but broadcasted into homes, flickering between sitcoms and soap operas. “The future is now,” he famously declared, and in his world, it was a chaotic, beautiful, endlessly looping feed of images, noise, and possibility.

Today, as we live through the exact media-saturated reality he envisioned, Paik’s work feels more alive than ever. He didn’t just anticipate the digital revolution—he helped create its visual language. In a world where screens are our primary portals to experience, Nam June Paik remains the ultimate guide, reminding us that technology isn’t just a tool but a canvas, a playground, and sometimes, a mirror reflecting our own wired souls.

(Editors note; "Moon Is The First TV" a documentary about NJP is highly recommended)

Fred Tomaselli: The Alchemist of Psychedelic Collage

Fred Tomaselli constructs entire worlds. Fusing intricate collage, resin, and paint, his work is a visual acid trip, blurring the line between nature and altered perception. Born in 1956 in Santa Monica, California, Tomaselli emerged as a singular force in contemporary art, blending influences from psychedelia, illuminated manuscripts, and medical illustrations into something entirely his own.

Before moving to New York City, Tomaselli lived in the Downtown LA Arts District, immersing himself in the underground art and punk scenes. This period shaped his early artistic vision, exposing him to a raw, experimental creative energy that would later manifest in his intricate, surreal compositions.

His compositions are layered, quite literally—he encases real objects like pills, leaves, and insects in resin before painting over them, creating works that feel like portals to another dimension. Pieces such as Gravity In Four Directions and Field Guides pulse with color and hypnotic symmetry, evoking a sense of cosmic order amidst chaos. His approach reflects an obsession with altered states—not just through drugs, but through the visual overload of modern life.

Tomaselli’s art has been exhibited worldwide, from the Whitney Museum to the Pompidou Center, cementing him as a major figure in contemporary surrealism. While his early career had him dabbling in underground culture, punk aesthetics, and minimalism, his current work leans deeper into vibrant, hallucinatory storytelling. Whether it’s transforming newspaper front pages into swirling psychotropic dreamscapes or reinterpreting art history through a modern lens, Tomaselli remains an artist who refuses to be confined by any singular medium or style.

Much like the kaleidoscopic nature of his art, Tomaselli’s impact is layered—bridging fine art, pop culture, and the subconscious. His work doesn’t just demand to be seen; it demands to be experienced.

MULTIMEDIA: N/A sculpture and photography of Vortex Mass

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Michael Allen and ManFish. Valbum launch @ Digital Debris L.A.

Scenius looks into the work of Chicago artist Brien Rullman aka VJ Tek

Brien Rullman, known professionally as VJ TEK, was a multifaceted artist based in Hollywood, California. He was renowned for his dynamic contributions to the music and visual arts scenes, particularly in the Los Angeles area. As a painter and sculptor he created a large body of works in a unique style that could be described as a hybrid of visionary and street art. Much of Rullman's work implies aliens, spirit beings, energy fields and geometric forms .

Rullman was a pioneer in the VJ world originally with OVT in Chicago which also included Vello Virkhaus and Brian Dressel. They were among the earliest pioneers in creating immersive visual experiences for live music events and defined what VJ art would become. Rullman was known for creating original visual art, which he integrated into his VJ performances. His work was featured in music videos and live shows for scores of artists including Public Enemy, Ministry, Rabbit In The Moon, Dangermouse, Nitzer Ebb. In addition, Brien collaborated on music videos. Humble and shy about his art, Rullman did little to promote himself beyond the VJ world.

He was also an avid musician, performing live jams on drums, electronica and vocals and requently collaborated with fellow artists, friends and notably, he worked with Nick Maybury and Steve Fishman on the live project ding"TYGER FLAME" at the Digital Debris and Shadow Ranch Arts Festivals in Joshua Tree.

Brien was a member of TV Sheriff, a strikingly original performance art multimedia band that opened for Devo and a few other art-music names. He was the prospector in a trio that also featured the Davy Force, The Sheriff and a breakdancing pink gorilla. They used video samplers supplied by Coldcut.

Legacy: Rullman's contributions to the arts were widely recognized, and his passing in May 2024 was mourned by many in the artistic community. His work continues to inspire artists and musicians, reflecting his lasting impact on the creative world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF17jPDwCgA&t=56s

Yves Tanguy: Surrealist Architect of Dreams

In the vast and enigmatic world of Surrealist art, few figures are as instantly recognizable yet mystifying as Yves Tanguy. A self-taught French painter whose works transport viewers into boundless dreamscapes, Tanguy played a crucial role in defining the visual language of Surrealism. His otherworldly landscapes, filled with biomorphic shapes and infinite horizons, evoke a sense of mystery and transcendence that continues to captivate art lovers and scholars alike.

The Journey into Surrealism

Born in Paris in 1900, Tanguy led a rather unremarkable life until an encounter with a painting by Giorgio de Chirico altered his path forever. Struck by de Chirico’s metaphysical dreamlike scenes, Tanguy decided to dedicate himself entirely to painting. With no formal training, he immersed himself in the world of art, quickly gaining the attention of the Surrealist circle led by André Breton. By 1927, he was exhibiting alongside luminaries like Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst, firmly establishing himself within the movement.

A Landscape Beyond Reality

Tanguy's work is instantly recognizable for its vast, desolate landscapes, where strange organic forms hover and stretch toward unknown dimensions. Unlike many of his Surrealist peers who often relied on dream analysis and psychoanalysis, Tanguy’s art was purely instinctual. His compositions seem to emerge from an internal vision, evoking subconscious emotions and undefined narratives.

One of his most iconic works, Mama, Papa is Wounded! (1927), exemplifies his unique style—an eerie, dreamlike world where shadowy figures and amorphous objects interact in a barren, alien environment. His paintings often lack a clear narrative, allowing the viewer to create their own interpretations of the strange and shifting terrain.

Influence and Legacy

Tanguy’s art was deeply influential, inspiring not only his contemporaries but also later movements such as Abstract Expressionism. Artists like Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock admired his ability to create depth and emotional resonance without adhering to traditional perspective.

In 1939, he moved to the United States with fellow artist and wife Kay Sage, another key figure in the Surrealist movement. Together, they continued to push the boundaries of Surrealism, with Tanguy’s later works becoming even more refined and atmospheric.

Tragically, Tanguy’s life was cut short in 1955 due to a stroke, but his legacy remains firmly intact. His dreamlike worlds continue to inspire, offering a glimpse into the boundless realms of the subconscious. Through his unique ability to fuse the recognizable with the fantastical, Tanguy remains one of Surrealism’s most enigmatic and enduring figures.

Conclusion

Yves Tanguy’s work invites us to explore landscapes unbound by time or logic, where reality dissolves into the infinite possibilities of the mind. His paintings are not just surreal—they are portals to dimensions yet to be discovered, affirming his place as one of the great visionaries of 20th-century art.

Beat Poets: Rebels of the Word

The Beat Generation emerged in the 1940s and exploded into cultural prominence in the 1950s, reshaping American literature and society with its radical, free-flowing, and deeply personal style. A reaction to the materialism and conformity of post-war America, the Beat poets sought spiritual transcendence, personal freedom, and artistic authenticity. Their work, influenced by jazz rhythms, Eastern philosophy, and a thirst for social revolution, laid the groundwork for the countercultural movements of the 1960s and beyond.

Origins and Philosophy

The Beat movement was birthed in the coffeehouses and underground scenes of New York and San Francisco, where a group of disillusioned writers sought an alternative to the rigid literary conventions of their time. Inspired by existentialism, spontaneous prose, and a rejection of mainstream values, they cultivated a raw and unfiltered literary voice.

A central philosophy of the Beats was "first thought, best thought," a phrase popularized by Jack Kerouac, advocating for unedited, stream-of-consciousness writing that mirrored the energy and improvisation of jazz. The Beats also championed themes of sexuality, spirituality, drug experimentation, and political dissent, pushing against the boundaries of censorship and literary decorum.

Key Figures and Their Works

Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997)

Perhaps the most famous of the Beat poets, Ginsberg’s Howl (1956) became a defining text of the movement. A sprawling, impassioned critique of industrial society, materialism, and repression, Howl was deemed obscene by authorities but later vindicated in a landmark free speech trial. Ginsberg’s work, infused with Buddhist philosophy and social activism, made him an enduring icon of literary and countercultural rebellion.

Jack Kerouac (1922–1969)

Although best known for his novel On the Road (1957), Kerouac was also a poet, blending spirituality and personal wanderings in works like Mexico City Blues (1959). His spontaneous prose style, deeply influenced by jazz improvisation, sought to capture the raw immediacy of experience, making him a foundational figure in Beat literature.

William S. Burroughs (1914–1997)

Burroughs, the dark prophet of the Beat Generation, is often associated with his novel Naked Lunch (1959), but his poetic works, including The Yage Letters (1963), experimented with nonlinear structure and hallucinatory imagery. His cut-up technique, which involved rearranging text to create new meanings, was revolutionary and prefigured later experimental literature.

Gregory Corso (1930–2001)

As the "enfant terrible" of the Beat poets, Corso brought humor, lyricism, and philosophical depth to the movement. His poetry collections, such as Gasoline (1958) and The Happy Birthday of Death (1960), blended sharp social critique with a childlike sense of wonder and irreverence.

Diane di Prima (1934–2020)

One of the few prominent female voices of the Beat Generation, di Prima’s poetry explored themes of feminism, mysticism, and political resistance. Works like Revolutionary Letters (1971) cemented her place in the movement as a passionate advocate for social justice and personal liberation.

Legacy and Influence

The Beat Generation’s radical literary style and defiance of social norms paved the way for the countercultural explosion of the 1960s. Their embrace of Eastern spirituality, environmental consciousness, and sexual openness influenced movements from the hippies to contemporary spoken-word poetry. Today, their impact can be seen in everything from slam poetry to alternative publishing scenes.

The Beat poets remain celebrated for their fearless honesty, artistic innovation, and unwavering commitment to personal and creative freedom. Their works continue to inspire those who seek to break free from convention and explore the depths of human experience through language.