This study provides concrete results for the first time on how the mode of presentation in video art affects the reception and development history of this medium. Since the latent, unpresented state of a video does not correspond in any way to the visible end product, the process of exhibiting takes on an unusual relevance. Is the same video work interpreted differently when shown in a black box, a white cube, as a solo presentation, or in a video lounge? And why does video, despite forty years of exhibition practice, still pose a challenge for curators and audiences? Fifty commented and illustrated case studies from documenta 1972 to exhibitions in 2006 illuminate the productive tension between artists, curators, and visitors, as well as between the work, its presentation, and its reception. The analyses of various staging strategies reveal not only to what extent the perception of the work depends on the respective mode of presentation but also provide answers to the central question of whether and when the presentation is a constitutive part of the artwork.