The Problematic of Video Art in the Museum, 1968–1990 By Cyrus M ...

well as “…the definitions and orthodoxies of traditional fine art practices…”.⁴⁹ Through their self conscious and almost romantic disposition, they enabled the creation of an emergent mythology. Fuelled by a spirit of positive new energy, pioneering spirit, and video's simultaneity, what had been most exciting about video had been “…the instant access it provided to the image—something that film could not do”.⁵⁰ Hence, artists were compelled to express themselves through this new art form due to the framework created by the technology itself, which instantaneously, for them, would transfer, or transform, information as “art” onto video tape. As a result of its various imperfections derived from its dimension, spacialisation, and temporalities accomplished as a simultaneous act, a creative fusion would progressively develop through its quality of realism and liveliness in video art. As such, the authoritative immediacy and expressive potential, which the new medium captured and articulated for many artists within any situation, had revealed it as an ideal medium and tool suited to this time and period. It did this while revealing its capacity to intersect with the art that would be produced during this time.

Video Art: Institutional Challenges

During the 1960s, Minimalism and Conceptualism were the dominant trends in art, and several major pioneering video art practitioners would emerge from this framework. These would include, amongst others, Paik, Vostell, Graham, Nauman, and Acconci.

The interdisciplinary nature and visible unification of making art during this time had reflected video's ability to instantaneously capture much that was in the culture. A new era of progressive art, much of which had been formed by an ideological fixity that had a sense of community to it, would be shaped by a myriad of live “happenings” events and performances.⁵¹ As a result, the domination and dominion of the previously indefatigable aesthetic practices of both traditional painting and sculpture stagnated. For Elwes, during this time, “Artists rejected the mediating role of what they regarded as an obsolete art object”.⁵² This had meant a decisive shift in focus from the “object” to the “idea”.⁵³ As such, categories and boundaries employed to define art were blurred,