What Is Video Art: Complete Guide

Video art is a genre of art that uses films, video recordings and video projections as the creative or expressive medium. Video art is often site-specific, and can be installed, exhibited, viewed and recorded in different places.

Video art began with the invention of the television in the late 1940s. However, it was not until the 1960s that artists such as Nam June Paik, Bruce Nauman, and Stephen Beckett began to explore its potential.
 

Video art was first recognized as a form of artistic expression in 1968 with major exhibitions at the Tate Gallery in London (1968), The Museum of Modern Art in New York (1968), and the Kunsthalle Bern (1969).

In these exhibitions, video art was defined as an independent category of artistic media with its own set of aesthetic criteria.

What Is Video Art

While early video art was exhibited in galleries alongside more traditional forms of visual arts, it has since been argued that it is now widely  accepted as an artform in its own right, that it no longer needs to be displayed alongside other forms of visual arts.

Video art is composed of three main elements: moving images; sound; and time. It can also incorporate other sensory elements such as temperature, humidity, texture and smell. Moving images are perhaps the most obvious element used by artists.

Selected Artists in the Collection

We have a long tradition of collecting the work of living artists. Almost every aspect of our collection can be traced back to an acquisition made by the founder, Sir Henry Tate, who was a successful artist himself.

Tate’s earliest acquisitions for the collection came in 1885, when he bought four paintings from the first exhibition, held at the Grosvenor Gallery, which had opened earlier that year. Since then, Tate has continued to look to the Grosvenor for inspiration. In 1990, it celebrated its centenary by staging an exhibition of 100 works by artists represented in the collection.

This exhibition toured extensively and was seen by over half a million people worldwide. The Grosvenor continues to be an important source for Tate today, with the collection including more than 350 artwork pieces provided by Grosvenor artists.

As well as collecting from its own exhibitions, Tate also acquires work directly from artists’ studios, through exchanges with other institutions and on-site visits made by curators to artists’ studios around the country.

Tate has also been involved in many other significant activities that have helped to foster living British artistic talent. Examples  include hosting training sessions for young artists at Tate Liverpool and supporting their professional development through bursaries and prizes.

Selected Artworks in The Collection

“The Artworks In The Collection” are selected by the curatorial department of the museum following a pre-selection made by the artists.

There is no time limit between the date of the event and that of the creation of the artwork, but works must be presented on a panel (without frame) measuring at least 50 x 60 cm.

This pre-selection is then passed on to the curator in charge of each section. They decide whether to include it in their selection, which will eventually be displayed in the museum.

A member of staff from each section will then come to visit artists in their workshop or studio to check their work, and make sure that it fits the requested dimensions .

Artists are then  informed as soon as possible if their  work has been chosen for display.

Important Art and Artists Of Video Art

Video art uses moving images, typically with sound andis often produced for exhibition in galleries, museums and cinema. Some video artworks are created as installation pieces that play out over longer periods of time, depending on the site or location where they are displayed.

As such, they can be distinguished from other moving media such as cinema (essentially non-interactive), video games or even interactive media such as CD-ROMs (which usually have a fixed approach to the user). Video art became popular in the 1960s. There were several factors involved with the movement, including the:

• rapid expansion of portable power of video recording equipment;
• development of analogue and later digital video editing equipment;
• development of efficient methods of storing video footage on magnetic tape and disks.

A number of events helped to spark this renewed interest in video, including a 1962 exhibit at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts titled “This Is Tomorrow”, featuring works by Nam June Paik and Ugo Rondinone among others.

The first artist credited for creating a video artwork is Nam June Paik, who produced a series of “video drawings” that he displayed on television in 1963. Later important artists include Bill Viola andVito Acconci.

Useful Resources on Video Art

Thanks to the internet, we now have access to millions of videos on countless subjects. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. One of the most prevalent video forms on the internet is music videos and there are a number of great resources for those who want to make their own. Below are some tools that can help you get started:

• Video-Editing Software
• Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is probably the most popular video editing software used by music video editors. It’s a powerful program that gives you lots of options for customisation. You can download a free trial here .

Apple Final Cut Pro X

Many professionals prefer Apple Final Cut Pro X over Adobe Premiere Pro. The basic program comes with a few features that are useful for music videos, but you may want to purchase additional plugins, such as Colour Finale, which allows you to add a number of different finishing touches to your videos.

Visit Apple ‘s site to download a free trial of Final Cut Pro X or buy one right away. 

Avid Media Composer 4

Avid Media Composer 4 is another popular editor used by many in the music video industry because it’s easy to use and has excellent production tools. Avid offers both an inexpensive starter version and an Ultimate version.

Are We Missing a Good Definition for Video Art? Don’t Keep it to Yourself

.Q: “I am wondering if you can help me. I have been looking for a good definition of video art online but have only come up with some nasty, cliche answers. I just need one paragraph to describe what video art is and why it is relevant in today’s art world.”

Tara G, NYC

A: “Video art is an art form, created by the medium of video. Video art covers a broad range of approaches to video making that are primarily concerned with the conceptual aspects of the medium itself, as opposed to production techniques or visual styles.

As such, it stands as both an academic and artistic pursuit and incorporates aspects specific to both fields of inquiry. There are two main approaches to video art: firstly, that which uses the two-dimensional visual nature of video in combination with audio (or sometimes without) as a means to produce work more akin to painting or sculpture than cinema;

Secondly, that which uses the linear nature of video recorded onto tape (or hard drive) in combination with sound (or without) as a means to produce work more akin to film than painting or sculpture.”

“Thanks for including me in your post. Much appreciated!” -Nigel Morrell.

Museums Double Down on Video Art

A work of art that includes a script and is shot on video tape? It might sound strange, but in the digital age, it’s a new way to present art.

   

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has been showing video art for years, but it is now building a department for the medium. 

In June, the museum will open a dedicated space for exhibiting video and artists’ moving-image work — its first. The department will include four exhibition spaces with a total of about 1,000 square feet.

Video was popular in the 1960s, but fell out of favour in the ensuing decades, as museums shifted their focus to individual artists and their original works. 

Now, though, curators are beginning to see videos as an important way to show how artists incorporate technology into their work.

“Museums have focused on traditional media — painting, sculpture and photography,” said David Galloway, chief curator at LACMA. “Now we are moving into other forms that are not quite as easily defined as art.”

Video is also proving popular among collectors, who in recent years have begun to collect work by such artists as Bill Viola and Nam June Paik, that often features moving images.

Tate Modern in London also opened its first dedicated space for video.

A Growing Market for Video Art

By 2018, the worldwide market for video art is projected to reach $8.6 billion. The use of video in art has been evolving as technology changes; Now, video can be used to create immersive environments, to demonstrate complex processes, and even to engage people in direct dialogue.

While the primary focus of video art is the audience experience and its aesthetics, there are two other aspects that are important: how we perceive objects, and the concepts behind them.

In the modern age, we see a lot of advertisements that incorporate video. 

They’re not necessarily bad advertising (they try to tell us something about a product or service), but they do show us lots of static images of what the product looks like. 

And if you think about it, most of these images are in fact just a picture with some text on it.

 This is where we find our first difference between the modern age and traditional approaches to art: when you look at an ad for a new car or perfume for example, you have no idea, whatsoever, about what it will  look like, because all you see is an image — an image with text on it. 

The Creative Potential of Video for Artists

Video is a powerful and growing medium for artists. It allows the artist to express their ideas and reach out to their audience in a new and exciting way.

Trying to explain how you create your art can be hard, but with video you can show your work, without the need for words – this allows you to connect and speak directly with your audience. 

You can also use video to share techniques and processes that you use when creating your work.

People want to see “behind the scenes” footage and they are intrigued by how artists come up with their ideas and create their artwork.

Video also allows people who aren’t able to go watch you paint or draw in person, to see how you create your art.

Video is a great visual representation of art and can help people better understand what inspires you as an artist, why you create what you do, and even what your art looks like in motion.

Video is not only an effective tool for sharing your art – it’s also a powerful marketing tool. 

Video content performs well across all social media platforms -especially on Instagram! 

Videos will help promote your brand, build a following for yourself, gain potential customers, attract sponsorships, secure retail space and much more.

Galleries Support Artists’ Video Ventures

It’s tough to make a living as an artist in this competitive world. There are many ways to generate income from your art — selling it, exhibiting it, licensing it and more. 

Digital technology has enabled many artists to find new revenue streams.

Some of the most exciting and innovative art being produced today is made by artists with a strong background in creating video.

Galleries are beginning to notice these artists’ creative use of technology. A number of them have begun offering commissions for digital video works by invited artists.

Here’s a sampling of recent examples:

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City commissioned six artists whose work has been shown there over the past year to create new digital works for its website.

The artists were given unrestricted grants of $10,000 each and asked to create works specifically for the web, based upon the theme “interactive” that were no longer than 3 minutes long. Their submissions were exhibited online from September through December 2015.

Why Video Is the Art Form of the Moment

Videos of a wide range of topics are being constantly created and uploaded to the internet. Videos have become a great source of entertainment, education, and even news.

The popularity of videos has continued to increase over the years. This is because people love watching videos as they are more engaging in comparison to text or images.

Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to market your business. Unlike any other medium, video marketing can generate positive results for your business for a long time. Here are some reasons why video marketing is the art form of the moment:

• It’s very easy to produce videos;
• Having an online presence is necessary if you want your business to thrive; 
• You can create a video with just your smartphone: you can then post it on different social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to attract potential customers;
• All you need is an idea! Then you need to use your creativity to make the video more attractive and effective in communicating your product or service benefits.
• Video marketing helps retain customers;

Videos can be used for various purposes such as increasing sales, building brand awareness and informing customers about product features and benefits. 

However, the main objective of using video is to help retain clients who are already purchasing from you.