Video art is a fairly overlooked medium. Collectors don’t collect it very much and museums hide it in their archives. These days getting people to recognize net art and animated GIFs as legit seems like a bigger challenge, but it was video art that helped lay the groundwork for those platforms and it has never really gotten its due.
Tonight, Eyebeam will host a book launch and panel discussion on “A History of Video Art.” Find out all about where it’s been and what it’s done. The panelists range from artists like Terry Flaxton to Lori Zippay the Executive Director of Electronic Arts Intermix, NYC’s most comprehensive Video collection.
Video Art by Paper Rad P-UNIT-1!!! Pt. 1!!! (Collection of Electronic Arts Intermix)
“A History of Video Art” attempts to bring together some of the most important works and players who’ve made Video Art what it is today. From the VHS tape trading 80’s, to the cable access loving 90’s, to the YouTube saturated 00’s, video art has always been populist and characterized by artists doing it because they love it. Without these guys we might not have MTV, weird ass commercials or Adult Swim.
Peter Campus, Three Transitions, a video art selfie self-portrait by panelist Peter Campus
After tonight’s panel you’ll be able to tell your friends that not all video artists are like Knox Harrington in The Big Lebowski, and in fact he’s probably just hanging out at Maud’s swank loft because he’s broke and homeless. “A History of Video Art Book Launch & Panel,” Feb 27, 6-8pm, Eyebeam Center of Art + Technology, Brooklyn
