Television and Contemporary Art: The Application of Broadcast and Streaming Technology in the Art of Moving Images

This paper aims to examine the role of television in contemporary art in two dimensions: how TV penetrates the cultural hierarchy of art and how TV technology innovates the presentation of art. As TV maximizes access to information and entertainment, it further establishes the boundary between high and low art, which has evoked a series of art movements since the advent of TV in response to the territory of media arts. For instance, Spatialism, Fluxus, and Conceptual Art have embraced the medium of TV as a unique form of artistic expression. In the era of streaming services, cord-cutting technology has removed the application of cables in traditional broadcast TV. Such technological advancement has revolutionized not only TV broadcasting but also video art presentation; however, fewer artistic strategies have been created to permeate the layers and hierarchy of contemporary pop culture after the era of cable. Hence, the paper also points out that the new habit and technology of seeing art has led to opportunities and limitations in developing new trends in contemporary art.