Photo by Kira Perov

Bill Viola, "Incarnation" (2008). Color high-definition video on plasma display mounted on wall. Performers: Roxanne Steinberg and Oguri, 8:55 min.

November 2009 Field Guide

The State of Things

Oleg Kulik

Robin Rhode and Leif Ove Andsnes

James Turrell

Omer Fast

Federico Fellini

Alfred Leslie

Bill Viola The Appendix: Beyoncé in Egypt, Leonardo in L.A., and a New Tower in Chicago Three Artists Win MacArthur “Genius” Awards Viola Changes His Mind, Accepts Pope’s Invite Bill Viola Turns Down the Pope An Artist of Our Time Running on Empty Viola Wins Catalonia International Prize

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Video-art pioneer Bill Viola returns to James Cohan Gallery with his fifth solo exhibition, "Bodies of Light." With the help of cutting-edge technology, Viola creates immersive works of art in which light reigns and time seemingly stands still. In the gallery’s main space, the viewer first encounters Pneuma (1994), a projection of alternating images that envelop the room while white noise plays in the background; surrounded by the images, the viewer comes to interpret them as fleeting memories rather than as recordings of real places and events. Also on display are several works from the artist’s ongoing "Transfiguration" series, which he developed from his celebrated installation Ocean Without a Shore (2007). Here, blurry figures captured in black and white slowly advance through space. As the figures come into focus, they briefly enter a world of color before returning to a colorless state, like spirits caught between life and death. Whether wrestling with the theme of birth or death or human consciousness, Viola continues to explore perception as an avenue to re-creating universal human experiences.

jamescohan.com

"Bill Viola" originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of Modern Painters. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Modern Painters' November 2009 Table of Contents.