Kukje Gallery in Seoul is presenting Moving Stillness, a retrospective of Bill Viola's groundbreaking video art, from December 3, 2024, to January 26, 2025. This marks the first major exhibition of Viola’s works in Korea following his passing in the summer of 2024, bringing together a collection that highlights his profound contributions to the medium of video art. Born in New York in 1951, Viola is celebrated as a pioneer of video installations, using technology to explore perception, consciousness, and the human condition.
At the heart of the exhibition, located in K3, is Viola's Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier 1979 (1979), a poetic installation featuring Mount Rainier reflected on a pool of water. The image, projected onto the water's surface, shifts and distorts with the slightest disturbance, symbolizing the transience of stability and permanence. The installation invites viewers to reflect on the illusory nature of constancy, capturing the interplay between disruption and calm in a visually mesmerizing manner.
In K1, a collection of Viola’s early videotape works is displayed on CRT monitors. These include Information (1973), a groundbreaking piece that transforms technical errors into an exploration of electronic media; Four Songs (1976), which crafts visual allegories depicting human interaction with the environment; and Ancient of Days (1979-81), which Viola described as a series of video fugues representing the passage of time. Also in K1, Poem B (The Guest House) (2006) offers a poignant triptych that delves into themes of memory, pain, and reflection through the narrative of a woman grappling with her past and future.
The rear room of K1 is devoted to Interval (1995), a significant work first shown at the 46th Venice Biennale. This dual-screen installation juxtaposes two opposing visual narratives: a man calmly washing himself in a shower and chaotic scenes of fire, water, and human anatomy. As the sequences accelerate toward a climactic collision of energies, viewers experience a visceral tension between peace and violence, offering profound insights into the dualities of human existence.
On the second floor of K1, The Reflecting Pool (1977-9/1997) centers on Viola himself as he interacts with a pool of water, creating a powerful metaphor for spiritual transformation. Through ripples and reflections, the piece explores the layered nature of time and consciousness, emphasizing water as a medium of rebirth and introspection.
Viola’s works are deeply influenced by spiritual traditions such as Zen Buddhism, Sufism, and Christian mysticism. His installations, described as “visual poems” by the artist himself, transcend their medium to evoke universal human experiences of birth, death, and the cycles of nature. Through the interplay of light, movement, and sound, Viola masterfully bridges the physical and metaphysical, inviting viewers to connect with their inner selves.
The title piece, Moving Stillness, encapsulates the essence of the exhibition. Viola once remarked, “The apparent solid, constant character of the image of the mountain is only due to a moment-to-moment coincidence of a set of factors.” This perspective challenges audiences to examine their own "constants" amidst the ever-changing variables of life, encouraging contemplation of fleeting moments of clarity and balance.
The exhibition serves as a tribute to Bill Viola's enduring legacy, reaffirming his status as a visionary in the field of video art. Moving Stillness not only honors his life’s work but also offers audiences an opportunity to engage with profound reflections on time, perception, and the human experience. Through this exhibition, Viola's exploration of the ephemeral and eternal continues to inspire and resonate.
Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
