Bill Viola - Ocean Without a Shore

The Work

Encounters at the intersection between life and death

This piece was presented for the first time during the 2007 Venice Biennale

Created for the 15th century San Gallo church as a collateral project for the 2007 Venice Biennale, Viola directly incorporated the church’s internal architecture into the installation, using three existing stone altars to set up three large video screens.

The Space

Earth as an essential element.

The space that houses the work came about through a research process

The humanist spirituality of Ocean Without a Shore required a permanent installation space in the PLANTA project that evoked the mysticism of the original space for which it was conceived, the Chapel of San Gallo in Venice. Without intending to reproduce the religious context, PLANTA created the first permanent site for this work by transforming spaces and using sustainable materials. This place emphasises the drama of the work, free from any ornament, and maintaining its transcendent character.

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The Artist

Pioneer of art video

To a large extent, Viola looks at the central themes of awareness and human experience: birth, death, love and emotion.

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