Beuys Vox 1989

Nam June Paik made this intriguing piece, Beuys Vox, using a modified vintage television set. The looping video plays on the screen but it's the hand-painted words and symbols on the doors that grab my attention. The juxtaposition of old tech and gestural mark-making is really playful. The surface of the doors is dark and glossy, a perfect foil for Paik's bright yellow scrawls, which are both clumsy and intentional. The words ‘Beuys’ and ‘Paik’ form a kind of dialogue across the piece and suggest a conversation between artists. What do these brushstrokes reveal or conceal? Do they add to the meaning of the work or just distract from the tech? I think Paik is less interested in answers and more interested in this kind of questioning. Paik seems like an art ancestor of artists like Cory Arcangel, who are also interested in playing with technology, history, and the meaning of images. Ultimately, Paik encourages us to embrace uncertainty, to question the role of technology, and find beauty in the unexpected.