“There’s more than just the surface of life… the real thing is underneath” – Bill Viola

Published 18 January 2019

For video artist Bill Viola, water is a powerful and recurring theme, and one that’s central to our landmark exhibition, ‘Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth’. In this interview, the artist traces this back to a formative incident in his childhood.

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    An interview with Bill Viola

    In this video – an extract from a longer interview by the Louisiana Channel – artist Bill Viola describes how an accident that happened when he was six years old left its mark on his life and art.

    The video features clips from Five Angels for the Millennium (2001), one of 12 video installations from across Viola’s career that will be shown in Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth.

    • Bill Viola, 'Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall)', 2005

      Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth

      26 January — 31 March 2019

      This landmark exhibition brings together two artists – born centuries apart – who explore the same universal themes with works of transcendent beauty and raw emotional power.

      Discover the affinities between Renaissance master Michelangelo and pioneering video artist Bill Viola, in an exhibition conceived as an immersive journey through the cycle of life.