Bill Viola

Bill Viola carves beauty from futility. In his videos a man and woman slap each other; a present is unwrapped and rewrapped; someone carts a load up a hill. Two men lope in tandem through a heat haze, ever closer. In another video two naked old people examine themselves, carefully, with torches. Elsewhere, people hold their breath underwater. What is going on? Very little, on the surface, so why is watching these images so addictive? That grid of videos holds the answer. Life is flawed, frustrating and pointless, but when futility looks into the mirror, possibility smiles beatifically back. If we allow that Sisyphus may one day reach the top of his hill, then his dull task becomes an adventure. Open your mind: who knows what sparkling treasures may tumble out?