Bill Viola

Bill Viola

Bill Viola is a contemporary video artist whom I have recently discovered. I know my past posts have been focusing on exhibition reviews but I thought I would mix it up and share with you some artists that I am truly passionate about. I was recently introduced to Viola's work when a family friend had one of his videos installed in their flat. I did not see the video myself but was told about it so promptly studied his works and was blown away by the confrontational style of his work.

In the video above Acceptance (2008) depicts a rather shocking nude figure and throughout the video it is unclear whether this figure is female or male. It starts out as a mere blur in the background and as the camera moves closer the true emotion of the figure is conveyed.

Many of Viola's videos incorporate the fundamental four elements within them, such as fire or water, and these are more often than not depicted in black and white. The themes behind Viola's work are the fundamental human experiences such as birth, death and different aspects of the conscious mind.

Viola states that technology is part of our evolution, and that although people have an innate fear of technology it is important for artists to understand it fully and put it to positive use. Viola also says that existence itself is movement and change and this is shown in all of his video installations. He believes that the purpose of the digital medium is to model thoughts though the actions it depicts as symbols of the real world, not simply material objects.

Bill Viola's video installations can primarily be described as fierce, whether because of the elements included, the emotions conveyed or the feeling the viewer is left with once the reel is finished. 

"The wound is where the light enters you" - Rumi

I am going to New York in a few weeks and am fully prepared to immerse myself in its culture and life but most importantly, the art, for held there are a spectacular range of works from Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon to Edvard Munch's The Scream. 

Again it has been such a pleasure.

The Raven's Eye Critic