pioneer of video art - He named his images 'visual poems': Bill Viola is dead
New York-based video artist Bill Viola passed away on a Friday at the age of 73, confirmed his longtime gallerist Jim Cohan. His production studio had previously posted about his death on Instagram. Viola's wife and longtime artistic partner Kira Perov, who runs the studio in Long Beach, California, stated in the post that Viola had passed away due to the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
Born on January 25, 1951, in the Queens neighborhood of New York City, Viola is considered a pioneer in video art since his early experiments in the 70s. He explored cycles of life, death, and rebirth in his works, which he referred to as "visual poems."
Bill Viola achieved international success
Notably, "Nantes Triptych," a triptych consisting of three video screens depicting a pregnant woman, a man floating vaguely in water, and his mother on her deathbed in a nursing home, gained widespread acclaim.
In 2016, Viola created "Mary" as a permanent installation for St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, an exploration of the Mother of Jesus Christ as a universal female figure with various incarnations transcending religious and spiritual boundaries. "Mary" is also a three-screen installation arranged in a traditional altar image configuration.
International exhibitions of his works received significant attention, including in Florence, where he had worked in the 70s, and at the Hamburger Deichtorhallen. The Parisian Grand Palais, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the 46th Venice Biennale also featured his works.
Bill Viola's groundbreaking video art was showcased at numerous renowned events, such as the 46th Venice Biennale, which further solidified his international recognition in the field. His critically acclaimed installation, "Mary," was displayed as a permanent feature at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, demonstrating his ability to transcend religious and spiritual boundaries through visual storytelling.
