Videotaide

Videotaide, or video art, is an art form that uses video as its primary medium for creation and display. It arose in the 1960s and 1970s, alongside the spread of affordable video technologies, experimental television, and artist-led performances. Unlike commercial cinema, videotaide often emphasizes the material qualities of video, time, and the viewer’s perception.

Practices include single-channel works projected in galleries, large-scale multi-channel installations, video sculptures, and performance-based pieces captured on video. Techniques range from live video feedback and analog tape editing to digital processing, looping, and interactive or site-specific installations. The medium is frequently combined with other media such as sound, sculpture, or performance.

Themes in videotaide commonly address media culture, identity, memory, censorship, surveillance, and the relationship between technology and daily life. Works may be non-linear, non-narrative, or open-ended, inviting interpretation and active viewer engagement. It often situates itself outside mainstream cinema or television, challenging conventional notions of authorship and audience.

Prominent early figures include Nam June Paik, a pioneer who incorporated television sets and electronics; Vito Acconci; and Bill Viola. Later artists such as Pipilotti Rist, Christian Marclay, Shirin Neshat, Martha Rosler, and others broaden the field with immersive installations, essayistic montages, and experimented formats.

Today videotaide persists as a major strand of contemporary art, elevated by museum and festival programs and by digital and online platforms. Modern works frequently explore interactivity, networked media, and global topics, expanding the ways audiences encounter moving-image art.