Introduction

Video technology has exerted a strong influence on visual culture. One aspect of this has been the emergence of video art in the 1960s and video artists such as Nam June Paik who focused on the possibilities of the form that were　completely different from film and attempted a variety of experimental works　that could only have been created with video.

At the outset of video art, cathode-ray-tube monitors were common, but in　the 80s, these gave way to projectors for wall screenings, and in more recent　years, woks for flat display devices have begun to emerge. In this exhibition of video art, which has developed in close connection to technological　innovations, we present works that make use of projectors as well as　large-screen, liquid-crystal displays in what seems to be the beginning of a　new chapter in the art form.

In the title of this ground-breaking project, we have dared to use the word　"painting," a reference to a more traditional genre. This is due to the fact that　the works and the artists that are represented in this exhibition have blurred　the borders that once clearly delineated the line between painting and video,　and furthermore, have set out to redefine the possibilities that were originally　inherent in the genre.

Today, it has become possible to show video works under nearly the same　conditions as one might present an exhibition of paintings. In general, 　painting is a spatial art form that remains static while video is a temporal art form that moves; but the distinction between a dark theatre and a light gallery that once symbolically maintained the difference between the two is now not　quite so absolute. It is no longer possible to simply view a video as a detailed reproduction of a painting. Movement intervenes in paintings, and images　with the qualities of a painting appear in videos, as a wondrous world in　which temporal and spatial art forms merge into one appears before our eyes.

As with photography and film, technological innovations lead to previously　unimaginable fields of art. In this exhibition, we are not simply attempting to take advantage of the special features of state-of-the-art equipment, but rather present a group of expressions that extend far beyond traditional concepts of　the video form by artists who are blessed with a highly developed sensitivity.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the artists for their　Unprecedented efforts in helping us realize the exhibition and to the many　Galleries and collectors who graciously consented to loan us invaluable works.
In addition, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for the special
cooperation provided by the Sharp Corporation as well as the Bose
Corporation and the Epson Sales Japan Corporation.

Mie Prefectural Art Museum
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
The Asahi Shimbun

2008