Bill Viola‘s video art work mesmerizes me. I think his work is phenomenal and have been transfixed by it in countless dark rooms in museums the world over for many years. So when a friend of mine invited me to attend a party Thursday evening at Max and Lubov Azria’s house in Beverly Hills hosted by Jeffrey Deitch, the newly transplanted New York gallerist who is now director of MOCA, I literally jumped at the chance of meeting one of my idols who was on the expected guest list. The evening was of course amazing, full of familiar faces from both costs and artists I have dreamed of meeting including Barbara Kruger, Ed Ruscha and of course Bill Viola. The Azria’s house is a work of art in its own right and it was a really enjoyable night. I loved the Theremin performance in the living room as well. Amazing. There was a great documentary that came out in 1994 about the Russian inventor Leon Theremin who created the instrument and was sadly brought back to Russia against his will by the KGB later in life, but that’s a whole other post. Sadly, I never did get to meet Mr. Viola though maybe it’s for the best as it keeps the enigma alive in my mind and gives me something to look forward to for next time. One of Bill Viola’s early works that I love is above.
