Bill Viola: The Messenger, 1996. Video/sound installation. Photo: Kira Perov.
Leading our New Zealand International Arts Festival line-up is The Messenger, a captivating video work by acclaimed American artist Bill Viola. Viola has led video art and installation for more than 35 years, exploring the phenomena of sense perception as a ‘path to self-knowledge’. The Messenger envelops its viewers in an entrancing underwater world of image and sound that has been described as ‘eye-opening’ and ‘life-affirming’. This is the first time a major work by Bill Viola has been exhibited in New Zealand.