Athens, Ga. – “Bill Viola: Collected Work, 1977-80” will be on view at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia Dec. 3 through Feb. 19 in the museum’s Alonzo and Vallye Dudley Gallery.
Bill Viola is internationally recognized as one of the leading video artists. After receiving his bachelor of fine arts in experimental studios from Syracuse University in 1973, he became technical director of production for Art/Tapes/22, one of the first video art studios in Europe, and has since become extremely influential in establishing video as an important form of contemporary art.
“Viola’s vitality and enduring relevance make him an ideal fit for the opening year of the museum’s newly renovated Dudley Gallery, which will regularly feature works in new media by leading contemporary artists,” said Lynn Boland, GMOA’s Pierre Daura Curator of European Art.
Viola has significantly developed the scope of video art in terms of equipment, content and historical research. By employing the use of state-of-the-art technology, his video installations create total environments that surround the viewer in images and sounds.
Viola focuses on universal human experiences, such as birth, death and the unfolding of the consciousness. He describes this work as “a collection of five independent works, which, taken as a whole, describe the stages of a personal journey using images of transition—from day to night, motion to stillness, time to timelessness, etc. Each work explores specific techniques and technologies in combination with spatial potentials of stereo sound.”
The films will be screened on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition is sponsored by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.
Museum Information
Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is located at 90 Carlton Street in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the East Campus of the University of Georgia. For more information, including hours, see www.georgiamuseum.org or call 706/542-4662.