Visiting Artist - James Cohan

This talk by a New York gallerist James Cohan is organized in conjunction with the exhibition of Bill Viola’s work at The Gallery at UTA.

Bill Viola’s work titled “Moving Stillness, Mount Rainier” (1979) is on loan from the Art Bridges Foundation, a program that arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton created to loan museum-quality art to partner institutions throughout the country. The room-sized Viola piece was constructed on-site in a darkened, enclosed gallery space to create a more immersive viewer experience. It incorporates a video reflecting off a large pool of water onto a suspended screen, along with amplified sound recordings. The water surface is stirred with a paddle at set intervals throughout the day, disrupting the serene, reflected image. This contemplative work reflects on both the strength and fragility of nature over time.