Welcome to Part II of our 3-part series exploring the history and present of video art. In Part I, we explore the origins of video art and its progression through the mid 1970s. In Part II, we look at the development and maturation of video art as a genre. In Part III, we will look at the current-day boundary pushers of video art working with new technologies like 3D software, web3, AI, and more.
In the late 1970s and onward, video art came to be increasingly respected as an artistic genre in its own right just as the culture grew increasingly saturated with film, television, and advertising. Video art was no longer a novel approach but hyper relevant, perhaps more so than painting or sculpture.
Where video art started as a conceptual statement (as in the works of Nam June Paik, Shigeko Kubota, and Andy Warhol) or a document of performance (as in the work of Chris Burden and the Fluxus artists), moving into the 1980s, video artists grew unmistakably indebted to the history of cinema and mass media.
What follows is a brief overview of the lives and works of a few key figures whose work has left an indelible mark on the history and evolution of video art.
Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman is a pioneering American conceptual artist whose diverse body of work has had a profound impact on contemporary art. Born in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Nauman initially studied mathematics and physics before pursuing art, earning his MFA from the University of California, Davis.
By the late 1960s, Nauman had already established himself as a key figure in the burgeoning conceptual art scene, known for pushing the boundaries of artistic mediums. One of his early breakthroughs was the transition from film to video, using his own body and mundane studio tasks as the subject matter. His works from this period, like Walking in an Exaggerated Manner Around the Perimeter of a Square, demonstrate Nauman’s interest in exploring the limits of everyday activities as artistic expression, often turning his studio into a space of introspective and performative exploration.
In the mid-1980s, Nauman returned to video after a 12-year hiatus, but his approach had evolved. Works such as Violent Incident marked a new direction characterized by aggression and a critical exploration of human interaction. This piece, with its violent, cyclical exchanges between characters, exemplifies Nauman’s dark humor and his interest in the cruelty embedded in human relationships.
By manipulating the video format—using role reversals, slow motion, and jarring soundscapes—Nauman crafted a chaotic, disorienting experience for the viewer, amplifying the absurdity and brutality of these interactions.
Gretchen Bender
Gretchen Bender (1951–2004) was a visionary artist whose innovative use of video, television, and mass media imagery established her as a key figure in the Pictures Generation, a movement of artists in New York during the 1980s who used appropriation and mass media to explore contemporary culture.
Bender began her career by integrating abstract computer graphics into her work but soon shifted to using television as her primary medium, recognizing its potential to reshape public consciousness. Teaching herself sophisticated video editing techniques, she transformed television’s rapid-fire visuals into complex critiques of media culture and its underlying power structures. Her works often layered corporate logos, fragmented film clips, and subliminal messages to disrupt the passive consumption of media, compelling viewers to confront the impact of media spectacle on their own consciousness.
Bender’s most iconic work, Total Recall (1987), epitomizes her approach. This monumental installation featured 24 TV monitors and projections, combining corporate imagery, news footage, and pulsating soundscapes to create a sensory overload designed to awaken viewers from their media-induced passivity. Through such works, Bender explored the relationship between technology, power, and human vulnerability, highlighting how media corporations shape societal narratives.
Her multimedia installations, including Dumping Core (1984) and People in Pain (1988), remain influential, critiquing the fusion of entertainment, violence, and corporate control in modern communication. Bender’s ability to manipulate the very tools of mass media made her an artist ahead of her time, and her work continues to resonate in today’s media-saturated world.
In a 1988 interview with Cindy Sherman, Bender spoke in defense of her use of technology (televisions, VCRs, and editing docks) in a way that will resonate with contemporary digital artists, especially those working in web3.
“The art world is trying to protect this antiquated territory and what is most disturbing about switching over to the newer technologies is that there is no authority to invoke. There aren’t any guidelines to tell you that you’re making “good” art. No one knows enough or understands enough. There’s so much experimentation to do, so many blind visual forays to risk, so many conceptual implications of the newer technologies to try to comprehend. Many artists aren’t willing to take those risks. You don’t know if you are going to be effective or not, if you are going to make silly or profound works. I think that’s what terrifies most artists and I think that’s why the art world is so slow to accept the culture of today.”
Bill Viola
Bill Viola (1951–2024) was a beloved American video artist known for his immersive multimedia installations that explore themes of human consciousness, emotion, and spirituality. Born in Queens, New York, Viola became one of the most influential figures in contemporary art, using the medium of video to create slow-motion, large-scale works that transcend traditional visual art experiences.
Deeply influenced by mystical traditions such as Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism, and Islamic Sufism, Viola’s work often focuses on dualities like life and death, light and dark, and the human capacity for both suffering and transcendence. His ability to fuse new media with universal human experiences has earned him a place in the pantheon of video art pioneers.
Viola’s installations, such as The Crossing (1996) and The Quintet Series (2000–2001), often feature extreme slow motion, allowing viewers to observe the minutiae of human expression and emotion. His works blur the boundaries between painting and video, with their painterly qualities and layered symbolism.
Viola’s exploration of themes like birth, death, and the passage of time is perhaps most vividly seen in An Ocean Without a Shore (2007), an installation that evokes the fragility of life through striking water imagery. Throughout his career, he sought to transform the viewer’s experience from passive observation to active participation, creating environments that demand emotional and spiritual reflection. His art, while rooted in new technology, speaks to the timeless human quest for meaning and connection, earning him critical acclaim and a lasting legacy in the world of contemporary art.
Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing, a Turner Prize-winning artist, has gained recognition for her video work exploring the complexities of identity, privacy, and human relationships. Emerging from the London art scene in the early 1990s, Wearing adopted a unique documentary style that blurs the lines between reality and performance.
Her approach, which she describes as “editing life” and a form of “portraiture,” often reveals the tension between public personas and private selves. Through her insightful investigations into how people present themselves, or conceal their true emotions, Wearing examines the hidden layers of identity in an increasingly mediated world.
Her early work, Dancing in Peckham (1994), exemplifies her interest in personal expression and societal norms. In this piece, she dances alone in a public shopping center, uninhibited by the reactions of passersby. The work subtly critiques the social conventions of public behavior, while simultaneously creating a portrait of individual freedom and vulnerability.
One of her most iconic works, 2 into 1 (1997), delves deeper into the themes of identity and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. In this short video, Wearing uses lip-synching to swap the voices of a mother and her sons, making each appear to speak the words of the other. This clever technique amplifies the unsettling divide between inner feelings and external expressions, forcing the viewer to question the authenticity of what is being said and what remains hidden.
Wearing’s work often reflects a keen awareness of the influence of media and the performative nature of daily life. Her exploration of masks, both literal and metaphorical, is a recurring theme that underscores how we are all constantly performing roles within society. Through her video and photographic work, Wearing challenges the viewer to reflect on the delicate balance between public image and private identity, revealing how much of ourselves we keep hidden beneath the surface.
Matthew Barney
Matthew Barney is an American artist and filmmaker whose work merges film, sculpture, drawing, and performance into complex, multi-layered projects. Renowned for his innovative use of cinematic techniques, Barney’s creations are often a blend of mythology, biology, and personal symbolism.
His magnum opus, The Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002), a series of five films created non-sequentially, stands as one of the most ambitious and visually extravagant works in contemporary art. The films, together spanning over nine hours, explore themes related to the male cremaster muscle, which controls testicular contractions, using it as a metaphor for sexual differentiation and creative potential. The cycle’s surreal and elaborate narratives feature hybrid beings, ritualistic performances, and visually arresting scenes, underscoring Barney’s fascination with the body, mythology, and the formation of identity. The Cremaster project is not confined to film but extends into photography, drawings, and sculptures that encapsulate key moments and symbols from the films, creating an expansive universe that invites deep exploration.
In addition to Cremaster, Barney’s works often combine personal and cultural references, expanding beyond biology to incorporate elements from geology, mythology, and history. His 2014 film River of Fundament is a continuation of his grandiose and symbolic style, delving into themes of death, rebirth, and transformation.
Barney’s practice often blurs the boundaries between traditional art mediums, using everything from petroleum jelly to intricate sculptural installations to build immersive environments that challenge conventional storytelling. His most recent work, Secondary (2023), marks a reflective return to his childhood experiences as a football player, intertwining themes of American culture, violence, and memory. Through his epic, genre-defying works, Barney has earned a reputation as one of the most pioneering figures in contemporary art, known for pushing the boundaries of video and performance art.
Pipilotti Rist
Pipilotti Rist is a Swiss video artist renowned for her vibrant, immersive installations that blend surrealism, popular culture, and feminist undertones. Born in 1962 in Switzerland, Rist began her career experimenting with Super 8 films before transitioning to video art, creating works that combine lush, hyper-saturated visuals with evocative soundscapes.
Inspired by pioneers such as Carolee Schneemann and Joan Jonas, Rist’s videos often explore themes of gender, the body, and emotional vulnerability, making her a central figure in contemporary video art. Her playful yet subversive approach is evident in her 1997 video Ever Is Over All, where a woman gleefully smashes car windows with a flower while being casually acknowledged by a police officer (notably referenced in Beyoncé’s “Hold Up” video for the visual album Lemonade). This work, which mixes joyous destruction with fantasy, highlights the whimsical yet politically charged nature of Rist’s art.
Rist’s installations, such as Sip My Ocean (1996) and Pour Your Body Out (2008), are known for their ability to transform gallery spaces into multi-sensory experiences, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in layered narratives of human emotion and sensory overload. Her work frequently engages with the human experience by using slow-motion, vibrant color, and dreamlike imagery, often pushing the boundaries between the real and the fantastical.
With her emphasis on the interconnectedness of body, nature, and technology, Rist has continued to redefine the possibilities of video art, becoming one of the most influential figures in the medium. Her work resonates with a wide audience, blending introspection with communal experiences, and often prompts reflection on the roles we play in both public and private spheres.
Christian Marclay
Christian Marclay, a Swiss American artist and composer, is renowned for his innovative blending of sound, video, and visual art. His work spans multiple media, including photography, video, and performance, all with a focus on the interplay between sound and image.
A pioneer in the use of turntables and records as musical instruments, Marclay’s early sound collages in the 1970s paralleled the rise of hip-hop’s DJ culture, though he developed his techniques independently. Influenced by the avant-garde movements of John Cage and the Fluxus group, Marclay explores how everyday objects and sounds can be repurposed into new, unexpected forms, creating works that invite viewers to experience time, sound, and materiality in novel ways.
Among Marclay’s most celebrated creations is his 24-hour video installation The Clock (2010), a monumental work that synchronizes thousands of film clips featuring clocks and timepieces with real-time. Seamlessly weaving together fragments from countless films, The Clock transforms time itself into an immersive cinematic experience, prompting viewers to contemplate the passage of time both on screen and in their own lives.
Marclay’s work, whether in sound or video, is marked by its witty, often humorous subversion of familiar media, making complex artistic statements while remaining deeply engaging and accessible. His art, celebrated for its innovation and playfulness, challenges audiences to reconsider the ordinary and its potential to become extraordinary through creative transformation.
Doug Aitken
Doug Aitken, an American multimedia artist born in 1968, is known for his expansive and immersive video installations that blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and nature. Based in Los Angeles and New York, Aitken’s work spans a wide array of media, including photography, sculpture, sound, and architectural interventions.
He gained international acclaim for his large-scale, site-specific video installations, such as Sleepwalkers (2007), which was projected onto the exterior of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Mirage (2017), a mirrored structure reflecting the desert landscape of California. Aitken’s works often explore themes of time, place, and the intersection between the human experience and the natural world.
Aitken’s video-based projects, such as the multi-channel installations Electric Earth (1999) and Wilderness (2022), are characterized by their non-linear narratives and immersive environments. In these works, he uses moving images to create sensory experiences that delve into contemporary concerns like urbanization, technology, and ecological change.
His renowned project The Source (2012) showcases interviews with artists and thinkers, emphasizing the creative process, while his outdoor film installations, like SONG 1 (2012), challenge conventional cinema by turning architectural spaces into screens.
Throughout his career, Aitken has consistently pushed the limits of media, blending art with the physical environment to invite viewers into a reflective dialogue with the world around them.
If you haven’t already read it and you enjoyed this article, please check out Part I of this series, in which we explore the origins of video art and its progression through the mid 1970s. In our upcoming third and final installment of the series, we will look at the current-day boundary pushers of video art working with new technologies like 3D software, web3, AI, and more.