Dive into the mesmerising world of Bill Viola

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 24 November 2009

Dive into the mesmerising world of Bill Viola

TheNewDowse hosts NZ premiere of video by art world superstar

Visitors to TheNewDowse during the New Zealand International Arts Festival may leave the gallery feeling their lives will never be the same again. Leading the gallery’s festival line-up is The Messenger, a captivating video work by acclaimed American artist, Bill Viola. The Messenger envelops its viewers in an entrancing underwater world of image and sound that has been described as ‘eye-opening’ and ‘life-affirming’. This is the first time a major work by Bill Viola has been exhibited in New Zealand.
“Bill Viola follows in the TheNewDowse tradition of hosting international artists of the highest calibre for its festival season,” says Cam McCracken, Director of TheNewDowse, “The Messenger is a hugely enticing and accessible work that will touch a nerve with many people.”

A true pioneer in his field, Viola has led video art and installation for more than 35 years, exploring the phenomena of sense perception as a ‘path to self-knowledge’. His work focuses on spiritual messages of universal experiences, like birth and death, which combine with state-of-the art technologies to engage the viewer directly, without the need for detailed explanations. Viola’s work occupies the rarely attainable position of being popular, while also celebrated by the highest echelons of the art establishment. Viola has represented the US at the Venice Biennale, is regularly exhibited at the world’s most prestigious galleries and has been awarded numerous accolades.

“In the poetry of his work we find a personal fusion of tradition and the avant garde,” Jury comments from the 21st Catolonia International Prize, which Viola was awarded in May 2009.

The Messenger was inspired by the 11th century Norman architecture of the UK’s Durham Cathedral where it premiered in 1996. It consists simply of a young man rising to the surface of a pool of water, gasping for breath, and then submerging again - the drama unfolds slowly, breathtakingly, commanding the viewer to notice every exquisite detail and find meaning in the smallest action.
Viola represented the United States at the 46th Venice Biennale in 1995 with Buried Secrets. In 1997, the Whitney Museum of American Art organised Bill Viola: A 25-Year Survey and in 2002, Viola completed his most ambitious project, Going Forth By Day, a projected digital “fresco” cycle, his first work in high-definition. Bill Viola: The Passions was exhibited at the J. Paul Getty Museum, LA in 2003 and travelled to the National Gallery, London, the Fondación “La Caixa” in Madrid and the National Gallery of Australia. Bill Viola: Hatsu-Yume (First Dream) (2006-2007) drew over 340,000 visitors to the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo and in 2007, nine installations were shown at the Zahenta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw and Ocean Without a Shore was created for the Venice Biennale. In 2008, Bill Viola: Visioni interiori, was presented in Rome at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. Viola’s passion for music has seen his work accompany the soundscapes of Edgard Varese and the operas of Richard Wagner, as well as providing stage backdrops for a world tour by rock band Nine Inch Nails. Coinciding with The Messenger’s season at TheNewDowse, Deux eternités proches - Thierry Kuntzel/ Bill Viola will open at Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing, France, February 26 - April 25, 2010.

Born in 1951, Bill Viola received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Experimental Studios from Syracuse University in 1973 where he studied visual art and electronic music. From 1976-1980, he was artist-in-residence at the WNET Channel 13 Television Laboratory in New York during which time he met his future wife, Kira Perov while visiting La Trobe University in Melbourne. Perov joined Viola in New York where they were married and began a lifetime of collaborative projects. The couple currently live in California. For more information, www.billviola.com

Bill Viola: The Messenger
20 February to July 4 2010

TheNewDowse | FREE ENTRY

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