Untitled (Merce) 1978

Nam June Paik made this print, *Untitled (Merce)*, and who knows when, exactly? It's a sheet densely layered with images of video stills, screen-printed in blocks and rows of various muted colours. I’m thinking about Paik in his studio, maybe late at night, shuffling these images, trying to catch a kind of movement between them. Look how the blocks are like memories flashing by, some clearer than others. The yellows feel warm, like old film, while the teals and pinks give off a cool, electronic hum. There’s a rhythm here that reminds me of music—something Paik knew a lot about. The way he repeats certain images but alters them slightly, makes me think about how artists riff off each other. Ideas get sampled, remixed, and reborn. That is something all painters do, taking forms and ideas and re-circulating them so they are reborn. This piece is an invitation to get lost in the flow, embracing the unexpected connections that come from seeing things in new ways.