Vitamin V - by Phaidon Editors (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A definitive survey of the world's leading contemporary artists working in vido and the moving image. Video has never been more prevalent in contemporary art than it is today. At a time when moving images have saturated daily life to an unprecedented degree, artists continue to draw new possibilities from the medium, ranging from analog film and digital video to hand-drawn animation and computer-generated imagery. The first of its kind, this book showcases more than 380 works by 102 living artists from 43 countries, nominated by a carefully selected panel of high-profile art-world figures from around the globe. Featured artists include: John Akomfrah, Ed Atkins, Rosa Barba, Matthew Barney, Meriem Bennani, Cao Fei, Alex Da Corte, Stan Douglas, Forensic Architecture, Gabrielle Goliath, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Sky Hopinka, Arthur Jafa, William Kentridge, Ragnar Kjartansson, Paul Pfeiffer, Laure Prouvost, Pipilotti Rist, Mika Rottenberg, Wael Shawky, Hito Steyerl, Martine Syms, Tourmaline, Ryan Trecartin, Wu Tsang, and Yang Fudong. An introductory essay by film scholar Erika Balsom places these cutting-edge creators within the context of the history of video art." --

Book Synopsis

The most comprehensive survey to date of contemporary video and moving-image art from the last decade

Video has never been more prevalent in contemporary art than it is today. At a time when moving images have saturated daily life, artists continue to draw new possibilities from the medium.

From live-action documentation to hand-drawn animation, participatory video-game technologies, and computer-generated imagery, Vitamin V: Video and the Moving Image in Contemporary Art presents over 850 images from more than 100 artists. Discover recent work by established names as well as rising stars in the contemporary art world, all nominated by a global panel of high-profile art-world figures.

Richly illustrated with multiple examples of works by each artist, including stills and installation views, Vitamin V is the first book in Phaidon's celebrated Vitamin series to focus on the moving image. An insightful essay by renowned scholar Erika Balsom surveys the history of video art from the 1960s until today.

Review Quotes

'A tour de force of text and graphics.' - NY Journal of Books

'This visual compendium...deftly tackles a difficult task: robustly interrogating moving-image art across its static pages.' - Observer, Best Art Books of 2025

About the Author

Erika Balsom is a scholar and critic based in London, working on cinema, art, and their intersection. She is Reader in Film Studies at King's College London and holds a PhD in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University.

Featured artists include: John Akomfrah, Ed Atkins, Rosa Barba, Matthew Barney, Meriem Bennani, Cao Fei, Alex Da Corte, Stan Douglas, Forensic Architecture, Gabrielle Goliath, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Sky Hopinka, Arthur Jafa, William Kentridge, Ragnar Kjartansson, Paul Pfeiffer, Laure Prouvost, Pipilotti Rist, Mika Rottenberg, Wael Shawky, Hito Steyerl, Martine Syms, Tourmaline, Ryan Trecartin, Wu Tsang, and Yang Fudong

Advisors include: Çelenk Bafra, Chris Bayley, Tom Colley, Stuart Comer, Lauren Cornell, Jarrett Earnest, Reem Fadda, Silvia Franceschini, John G. Hanhardt, Yuko Hasegawa, Christelle Havranek, Kim Hong-hee, Barbara London, Simon Njami, Pablo José Ramírez, Tina Rivers Ryan, Akili Tommasino, Christine Van Assche, Jun-Jieh Wang, Emily Watlington, Catherine Wood, and X Zhu-Nowell