Bill Viola. The Raft

About

Bill Viola (1951-2024) was a pioneer in the fields of new media, video, and installation art. For over 50 years his visionary environments, defined by immersive video and soundscapes, focused on the fundamental human experiences of birth, death, and the unfolding of consciousness. Viola also drew great inspiration from spiritual traditions, including Zen Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and Christian mysticism. By slowing down his images, Viola shifted viewers’ sense of perception and awareness to reveal the inner world. 

This exhibition is centered upon Viola’s large-scale video installation, The Raft, May 2004, commissioned for the 2004 Athens Olympics, and exhibited for the first time in New York. The Raft depicts a life-sized scale of a group of nineteen men and women from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, casually standing together. Suddenly, they are struck by strong blasts of water that rush in from out of frame. Some are immediately knocked over and others brace themselves against the unprovoked deluge. Bodies are pummeled and faces and limbs contort in agony against the cold, hard force. People in the group cling to each other for survival, as the simple act of remaining upright becomes an intense physical struggle.