Nam June Paik in Cincinnati: A History

Photo Collage of Paik Factory by Mark Patsfall

Photo Collage of Paik Factory by Mark Patsfall

January 25th - March 29th, 2026

Reception: March 12th, 5-7pm

Cincinnati, Ohio’s art scene from 1983 to 2003 beheld the collaboration of Nam June Paik (father of video art), Carl Solway Gallery, and print-maker Mark Patsfall.  Together they created the Paik Factory which produced Paik’s world renown video sculptures, over 400 artworks, national and international museum exhibitions, public sculptures, and employed many local artists for years.

This unique period in Cincinnati’s history is brought back to us through Patsfall’s narration, documentation, and imagery. He recounts the three distinct phases of the Paik Factory and explores the artist’s creative and collaborative process: proposed ideas become rough sketches, sketches become finished sculptures, single works become a series, and a body of work becomes a museum level exhibition.

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Grid of 4 portraits featuring the women in Nam June's family, a colorful tv screen print, early idea of the 1984 Invaders artwork, and early proof of the 1984 Invaders artwork
Full Gallery

This group of prints marks the early collaboration between Nam June Paik and Carl Solway in the 1980s. Shaped like vintage television screens, the works combine black-and-white imagery, bold color fields, and hand-drawn calligraphy. Together, they reflect Paik’s interest in television as image, object, and artistic medium.

Family Photo Declassified, Portrait of the women in Nam June's family in 1984
Detail shot on one woman from portrait

Family Photo Declassified

1984 

Portrait of the women in Nam June's family

photoetching and aquatint

From the portfolio V-Idea a Priori

Framed print of a colorful TV test pattern with black spiral shapes and playback buttons
Detail shot of playback buttons

Life Has No Rewind Button

1984

etching and aquatint

From the portfolio V-Idea a Priori

Early idea for 1984 Invaders artwork, series of hand drawn planets with signatures
Detail shot on 3 planet drawings, one unsigned, two signed with black and yellow ink

Early idea for 1984 Invaders

brushed Ink on verso of proof print

From the portfolio V-Idea a Priori

Early proof for 1984 Invaders artwork, colorful planet outlines with portraits of people in the center of each planet on black background
Detail shot on 1 planet with green ring and portrait of a person in the middle

Early proof of 1984 Invaders

photoetching and aquatint with hand coloring

From the portfolio V-Idea a Priori

Mini-Metrobot sculpture with a TV test pattern on its chest and a rectangular sign extending from one arm
Detail shot of Nam June Paik's signature on the base of the Mini-Metrobot sculpture

Nam June Paik

Mini-Metrobot

1988

mixed media sculpture

Edition of 8 with 5 artist proofs

Stacked vintage televisions arranged as a human figure against a green circuit-board background with handwritten notes on the screens
Detail shot of vintage TV screen with drawings of blue car outlines

Rousseau

From the portfolio Evolution, Revolution, Resolution

1989

lithograph and etching

Edition of 64 with 8 artist proofs

Published by Carl Solway Gallery

Framed drawing of a vintage Motorola television with a map displayed on the screen
Detail shot of the hand-drawn “Golden View Motorola” label on the illustrated vintage television

Golden View

1991

lithograph and etching

Published in two editions, 1/100 and 1/50

Installation view of four framed black-and-white prints arranged in a row on a white gallery wall, each featuring a grid of television screen images with drawings and text
Full Gallery

Sonata I-IV is a series of four framed black-and-white prints displayed side by side, each composed of a grid of television screen images featuring drawings, handwritten text, photographs, and graphic symbols.

Framed black-and-white print featuring a grid of television screen images with text, symbols, portraits, and the word “Fluxus”
Detail shot of handwritten black calligraphy on a white television screen shape over a grayscale portrait background
Framed black-and-white print featuring a grid of television screen images with musical notation, handwritten text, drawings, and archival photographs
Detail shot of a television screen shape containing the text “Utopian Laser TV Station” with a printed program schedule
Framed black-and-white print featuring a grid of television screen images with drawings, handwritten text, photographs, and graphic symbols
Detail shot of a television screen shape featuring hand-drawn technical sketches
Framed black-and-white print featuring a grid of television screen images with drawings, photographs, handwritten text, and graphic symbols
Detail shot of a television screen image showing a mirrored black-and-white portrait of a face
Installation view of ten framed lithographs arranged in two rows on a white wall, each depicting a mixed media sculpture with televisions, collage imagery, and neon elements
Full Gallery

Il Novocento (The Decades) is a portfolio of ten offset lithographs created for Nam June Paik’s 1992 retrospective in Rome. Based on his video sculptures, each print reflects a different decade through layered collage imagery, found objects, and references to media and technology. The portfolio was produced in a signed and numbered edition of 130.

Framed print with a grid of small sculpture images marked by large red handwritten numbers
Detail shot of a lithograph with a small sculpture image overlaid by large red handwritten numbers and black signature marks.
Framed photograph of a mixed media sculpture featuring a gramophone horn, vintage screens, and collage elements mounted on a wall
Detail shot of collage imagery with red painted elements encircled by a glowing white ring
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture with two vintage screens, collage imagery, and scattered mechanical parts mounted on a panel
Detail shot of layered collage imagery with mechanical parts, printed figures, and bright blue rod elements.
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture with a central vintage radio cabinet, collage imagery, and electronic components mounted on a panel
Detail shot of collage panels with black painted marks layered over printed newspaper
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring collage imagery, small screens, framed portraits, and a pink neon light element
Detail shot of a small archival photograph of the women in Nam June Paik’s family, layered within a pink neon-lit collage background
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture with two vintage televisions, collage imagery, antenna rods, and neon light elements
Detail shot of collage imagery with layered printed text, colorful painted marks, and overlapping mechanical elements
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring a central vintage television with dual screens, collage panels, and neon light elements
Detail shot of collage imagery featuring small black-and-white printed figures, painted marks, and layered graphic elements
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring a glowing human silhouette surrounded by vintage television monitors and collage imagery
Detail shot of black-and-white collage imagery overlaid with rows of thick, colorful stripes
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring a large circular element, layered collage imagery, small screens, and neon light accents
Detail shot of layered collage imagery with painted automotive elements and expressive white scribble marks
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring collage imagery, small screens, books, and a red neon light element
Detail shot of collage imagery with small screens displaying rockets, layered printed graphics, and a glowing red neon line
Framed photograph of a mixed media wall sculpture featuring collage imagery, a small computer monitor, and a row of CDs mounted along the top
Detail shot of collage imagery featuring a woman’s face, layered printed photographs, and expressive painted marks