Something Above, Beyond, Below, Beneath. This exhibition includes three video works Ascension, Chott el-Djerid (A Portrait in Light and Heat), and The Reflecting Pool. Motion and mysticism are the topic of Tacoma Art Museums (TAM) first video exhibition.
Something Above, Beyond, Below, Beneath
Something Above, Beyond, Below, Beneath. This exhibition includes three video
works Ascension, Chott el-Djerid (A Portrait in Light and Heat), and The
Reflecting Pool. Information about the history of video art and a number of
tools will be available to assist visitors in understanding this medium.
Motion and mysticism are the topic of Tacoma Art
Museums (TAM) first video exhibition. Bill Viola: Something
Above, Beyond, Below, Beneath. This exhibition includes three video works
Ascension, Chott el-Djerid (A Portrait in Light and Heat),
and The Reflecting Pool. Information about the history of
video art and a number of tools will be available to assist
visitors in understanding this medium.
In The Reflecting Pool, Viola employs the reflection of the
pool as a device for perceiving the world. In it a man
emerges from a forest and stops by a body of water. He
jumps and time stops while he is left suspended in the air.
All movement seen is that of the reflections on the waters
surface. After a moment the man emerges from the water
without ever having fallen in. He then walks back into the
forest.
By carefully crafting sequences of images and sounds,
Viola produces videos that hint at the enormity of our
world and the human condition beyond what we see in
front of us. He zooms in and out of vast landscapes,
focuses on details, slows or speeds up 'real time' and
juxtaposes different scenes. The artist urges viewers to
trust their intuition and to discover multiple levels of
awareness in the world.
Since the early 1970s, Viola has received international
critical acclaim for his video projects. His videos are part
of many Museum collections around the world, including
MOMA and TATE. He has received numerous honors
including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award
(commonly known as the genius award) and a Getty
Research Institute Scholar-in-Residence award. He also
served as the U.S. Representative to the 46th Venice
Biennale in 1995.
Viola earned a B.F.A. from the Experimental Studios of the
College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse
University.
Tacoma Art Museums mission is to connect people through
art. The Museum serves the diverse communities of the
Northwest through its collection, exhibitions, and learning
programs and is dedicated to art of modern and
contemporary periods, with an active commitment to art
and artists from the Northwest.
Mysticism and the Art of
Bill Viola Thursday, August 8, 6 pm FREE with admission
Underlying the strong spiritual content of the video art of
Bill Viola is inspiration from Western mysticism.
In a
lecture-providing context for the works, Dr. Jane Marie
Pinzino of the University of Puget Sound presents an
introduction to the traditions of the Western mystics.
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday 12:00pm - 5:00 pm
Tacoma Art Museum
1123 Pacific Avenue (12th and Pacific)
Tacoma, WA 98402-4399
253 2724258