Book Description

"The larger struggle we are witnessing today . . . [is] an ecological drama where the outcome rests not only on our realization that the natural physical environment is one and the same as our bodies, but that nature itself is a form of Mind." -- Bill Viola

Chosen to represent the United States at the 46th Venice Biennale, Bill Viola, a New York artist living on the West Coast, is recognized internationally for his work in video and sound installations. This book brings together a selection of essays, notebook entries, drawings, and descriptions of projects that map Viola's personal course through the readings, observations, experiments, and associations that form the groundwork for his art. Each work illustrated is accompanied by a description by the artist, as well as comments on the work's origins from the artist's notebooks. For the last 25 years, Viola has used innovative multimedia technologies to explore the phenomena of sense perception as a language of the body and avenue to self-knowledge, integrating many disciplines and philosophies to reveal contemporary art's relevance to the modern world. His views have deep roots in mysticism, poetry, philosophy, Eastern art, shamanism, Chinese Taoism, Sufism, and Zen Buddhism. Viola's chief concerns today are to draw attention to the upset ecological balance of nature by focusing on the connection between our inner and outer lives, on the conception of the self as part of the whole. Published in association with the Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a brillant contemporary artist
Bill Viola is one of the most interesting artists working today. His work brilliantly blends technology and spirituality and this collection of his writings provides a glimpse into his thought process.

A brilliant artist and thinker
It is so refreshing to read what an artist's work is about from their own point of view, and not from a critic's. This book takes that a step further, by including sketches, a plethora of quotes, and facsimiles of Viola's legendary notebooks. Unlike most new media/video artists, Viola uses technology only to get beyond it, to provoke his audience to ponder the larger questions in life. He is an extraordinary thinker as well as a pioneering video artist. As an artist I find his writings -- and proof that he's an ordinary human being, with a messy notebook -- incredibly inspirational. The ideas in this book will keep you going for years. ... Read more

Book Description

An appraisal of the full range of accomplishments of this popular contemporary American artist.

The video and installation artist Bill Viola is one of the most popular artists in the world today. Significantly, in a world where an artist's importance is often conferred by small groups of experts and cognoscenti, Viola's rich imagery touches a nerve with large international audiences. His work is profoundly spiritual and never afraid to make big statements about human life and its relation to the universe, to the soul and human spirit, to nature, and to death. Viola is one of those rare artists whose work makes us aware of our nature as human beings. He takes art back to what were once its fundamental concerns and gives it a relevance to the emotional and spiritual lives of ordinary people.

While Viola has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, there has never been an extensive critical appraisal of the full range of his work. In The Art of Bill Viola eminent critics examine the scope of the artist's creations since the 1970s. Their studies include the relationship of Viola's art to the religious traditions of both Asia and Europe, the use of space as metaphor within his installations, the use of sound in his work, and the impact of its exhibition upon other video artists. These essays demonstrate Viola's uniqueness and importance as an artist of enduring international reputation and for the first time allow us to properly assess his place within history. 50 color illustrations.

With contributions by: Rhys Davies • Cynthia Freeland • Antonio Guesa • David Jasper • Jonathan Lahey-Dronsfield • David Morgan • Otto Neumaier • Elizabeth ten Grotenhiuis • Jean Wainwright ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A breathtaking book
Bill Viola rules my dreams. The exhibition at the Whitney stunned me and it stayed with me for a long time. I wish there were more images from his notebooks in this collection since the display of notes/inspirations were as fascinating as the installations themselves. You might have seen some of his work featured in the recent Nine Inch Nails US tour. If you want to see the zenith of video/installation art, you must spend some time with Bill Viola's work. (He's also a delight to meet).

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Book Description

Widely recognized as the leading video artist of our time, Bill Viola employs sophisticated state-of-the-art technologies to create installations that envelop the viewer in image and sound. In his newest and most evocative work--exhibited first at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin and in this accompanying catalogue--an ordered sequence of allegorical fresco-like images immerse the viewer in a total aesthetic, sensory and philosophical experience. Includes an interview with the artist. Introduction by John G. Hanhardt. Hardcover, 9 x 10.75 in./152 pgs / 73 color 12 BW0 duotone 0 ~ Item D20383 ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on May 20, 2002. The length of the article is 823 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: World of interiors: Ned Denny discovers magic in a genre that is old hat. (Art).(Bill Viola and Sam Taylor-Wood, photographers)(Brief Article)
Author: Ned Denny
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 20, 2002
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 131Issue: 4588Page: 40(2)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on November 3, 2003. The length of the article is 1004 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Past martyrs: Richard Cork searches for redemption in Bill Viola's harrowing images of pain.(art)
Author: Richard Cork
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 3, 2003
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 132Issue: 4662Page: 43(2)

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Reviews (1)

A savior to any research paper one could do on Bill Viola
If you are looking for any information on Bill Viola, you know it is hard work. I have spent weeks working on a research paper about his "The Stopping Mind" piece. It was very frustrating not to find any decent descriptions about it. Then this book showed up in my search. This book is incredible. The descriptions in this book are phenomenal. In several pieces, including the one I am studying, the words that can be heard in the piece are written in this book. This aspect in itself is incredibly helpful for any formal analysis, questions or concerns that you may have within any of these pieces. The description also includes Bill Viola's inspiration as well as mental work and meanings behind his art. The title does look overwhelming, being partly in a foreign language, but it is very nicely laid out, English in the right column on every page of the book which makes it easy to follow. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on May 28, 2001. The length of the article is 920 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Viola bodies.(video art installation)(Brief Article)
Author: Ned Denny
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 28, 2001
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 130Issue: 4539Page: 45

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more