Thoughts on Video Art

Bill Viola is considered to be one of the most high profile video artists. His work is beautiful and, more than any other video artist, "lyrical." However, we have to question the role of the video artist in an image centric society.

In the world of video, video art is normally makes us reconsider the form as opposed to communicating a message. Looking to Nam June Paik, one sees that his experiments in video art clearly influenced the early MTV aesthetic. This aesthetic dominated airwaves while the corporate music industry filtered its messaging through. 

Through this we begin to see both the dangers and powers of explorations in video art. As film and TV are arguably the most powerful forms of media consumed, and as they are almost always controlled by corporate America and advertisers, the aesthetics that their mass audiences in become their most powerful tools. When people like Nam June Paik and Bill Viola make breakthroughs in the video aesthetic, their work is frequently reappropriated towards capitalistic ends. 

Though this is not necessarily a negative result, I simply find it interesting that an art form that is not necessarily attempting at communication is continually reappropriated by the communication giants so to sell sell sell.