Instillation

Bill Viola
A contemporary video artist whose artistic expression
depends upon electronic, sound and image
technology in new media. His work in particular
focuses on Fundamental human experiences like
birth, death and aspects of consciousness.
The bill Viola Studio has been deeply saddened to
learn of the sudden passing of Norman Scott, who
performed in Inverted Birth, left and Earth Martyr
in the martyrs series.

Ocean Without a Shore, 2007

Video and sound installation
The way that this piece has been presented is by a colour
high-definition video triptych.
Two 65 plasma screens
One 103 screen mounted vertically and then six
loudspeakers (three pairs stereo sound)
The room is dimension variable.
The instillation view overall is the church of San Gallo in
Venice.

http://www.jamescohan.com/artists/bill-viola

Inverted Birth, 2014

Video/sound colour High-Definition video projection
Screen mounted on the wall in Darkroom
Projected image size: 16 ft. 5 in x 9 ft. 3 in (5 x 2.81m)
Duration: 8:22 minutes
These themes continue in Violas Inverted Birth, which
explores the life cycle as a continuum rather than a linear
progression. Viola has remarked, Birth is not a beginning,
death is not an end.
http://www.jamescohan.com/exhibitions/2015-12-10_billviola
Early 1970s - Viola used videos to explore the
phenomena of sense perception as an avenue to selfknowledge. The roots in both Eastern and Western art
as well as spiritual traditions, including Zen
Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and Christian mysticism.
He has been instrumental in the establishment of
video as a vital form of contemporary art, and in so

doing has helped to expand its scope in terms of

technology, content, and historical reach.

Contemporary Religious Art

Bill Viola s Martyrs piece was exhibited at St. Pauls
Cathedral. The piece itself suggests it alludes to the
martyrdom of Catholic saints.
The Telegraph reports: In the past altarpieces
dedicated to martyrs have tended to be rather
specific about the details of torture and death: St
Bartholomew being skinned alive, St Erasmus having
his intestines removed with a windlass and so on. []
On the four screens [of Martyrs], four people are at
first shown at peace, then each is assailed by a
different element, one is licked by flames, the others
by raging winds, erupting earth and a cascade of
water. But all remain steadfast.
http://blog.mozaico.com/contemporary-religious-art/
Viola received his BFA in Experimental Studios from
Syracuse University in 1973. Since then he has
created over 150 works that have been shown in
museums, galleries, film festivals, and on public

television worldwide.