The Barnes Foundation is doing something new this summer.
The distinguished museum — known for its rich collection of impressionist, post-impressionist and early modernist paintings — dedicates an entire special exhibition to video art for the first time ever.
I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola features a selection of compelling, genre-defying works by American artist Bill Viola, a pioneer in the field of video art.
THE ART OF BILL VIOLA FAST FACTS
- The Art of Bill Viola at the Barnes Foundation is the first large-scale exhibition of the renowned American video artist’s work in Philadelphia.
- The exhibit features smaller screen-based works and larger, immersive installations.
- It is the museum’s first special exhibition wholly dedicated to video art.
- The exhibition runs from June 30 until September 15.
I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like — on view from June 30 to September 15 — is also the first-ever large-scale presentation of Viola’s work in a Philadelphia museum.
Exhibition Highlights
Bill Viola’s prolific career as a video artist spans 40 years, and many of his major, rarely seen works are on view in this special exhibition.
Seven thought-provoking pieces — some inspired by 15th-century paintings and other works in art history — explore themes like the passage of time and human consciousness as well as emotions like grief and sorrow.
Located in the Barnes Foundation’s Roberts Gallery, the first room brings together a selection of intimate, smaller screen-based works that examine themes of sadness (Observance), purification (Ablutions) and daily rituals (Catherine’s Room).
Three immersive, room-sized video installations follow, including the rarely on-view He Weeps for You, a meditation on the human perception and passage of time. The piece features a projection of a drop of water that forms ever-so-slowly and falls with a resounding thud onto a drum over and over again.
The exhibition gets its name from Viola’s 89-minute video titled I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like. The five-part piece, which illustrates a metaphysical journey for self-knowledge and transcendence, screens for free every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and on select Fridays and Sundays in the Comcast NBCUniversal Auditorium at the museum throughout the run of the exhibition.
Related Programs
The Barnes Foundation hosts a number of programs this summer in conjunction with its first-ever exhibit devoted to video art.
Along with the Barnes, two other museums — the Fabric Workshop and Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts — present installations by Viola this summer. Curators from all three institutions sit down to discuss Viola’s visionary work and career at a special curators conversation on Tuesday, July 6.
On Saturday, August 17, a one-day class dives into Viola’s repertoire of video, sound and installation art as well as the main themes his work explores.
A handful of special guided talks and tours focusing on specific works also take place throughout the duration of the exhibit.
Check the Barnes Foundation’s calendar for more details about special programs and events.
Tickets
General admission includes access to the special exhibition.
Tickets to the Barnes are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors (ages 65 and older), $5 for youth (ages 13-18) and free for children (ages 12 and under) and members.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see the mesmerizing work of this celebrated artist at the Barnes Foundation this summer.
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