"IMPRESSIONS OF THE PASSIONS" by MIKE NGUYEN Upon entering Viola's exhibit, I was instantly greeted by six bald heads of a middle aged man. They all stared at me from a tall flat television screen measuring approximately two and a half by five feet, with strong black borders resembling that of a modern frame. Each face was identical to the other in every respect but for their distinctly different expressions. Intrigued by the oddity before me, I proceeded to compare the differences among the faces. Then suddenly, I noticed they were alive; each head moved in a slow, ghostly fashion. As a child, I was haunted by stories of possessed paintings whereby the eyes would follow your every step; and for a second, an eerie feeling brushed my spine. But as my inspection continued, I became increasingly captivated by this unique form of artistic expression which I had never seen before. His work reminded me of the moving painting portraits in the movie Harry Potter, but I understood that in Viola's, they carried a more profound meaning. With the use of digital film media and actors, Viola attempts to capture through vivid facial and bodily expressions, intense human emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, and fear. The recordings are then edited and replayed in slow motion, almost to the point of stillness, on flat television screens. Many of Viola's work display people acting out feelings, while other pieces try to convey primal emotions in a more abstract and symbolic manner. Some of the pieces measure at least three by six feet, with one large room containing five monitors, each the size of a half theatre screen. A few are smaller, approximate to that of a laptop computer monitor and are arranged either individually or into groups. Observed from a purely visual perspective, Viola's work is intriguing and mesmerizing. Seen at the next level, his art has the ability to invoke feelings of humble understanding and 'connected-ness' with our fellow man, stirring our sense of humanity, which is so often buried underneath the coarse sand which we call realities of life. But what did this exhibit mean from a personal basis? What were the common voices that spoke directly to me? How was I enlightened? A recurring theme started to form towards the middle of my journey. The common shape that I began to notice from the exhibit was a message of human transcendence towards a higher state of being. Viola's art, for me, spoke of the natural path of individual transgression expressed and embodied in physical form and emotions. On the surface, most of his work merely depicts people experiencing primal emotions. But there had to be more; and so I pressed deeper, questioning their basic nature. Why are humans endowed with such emotions as joy, sadness, fear, or anger? And what is their purpose, if any? As an admirer of Eastern thought, I am of the belief that there is a natural cosmic force that continually guides us toward a higher level of existence. Might our emotions then, be one of nature's ways of nudging us towards this higher, more perfect state? If so, what exactly is this 'higher state of being?' In certain Eastern philosophy schools, particularly in Zen Buddhism, the 'ideal state' is attained when one's essence is directly at one with nature, at absolute rest and in perfect balance. Looking from this perspective, the experiencing of emotions may therefore, exist to serve as boundaries or reference points from which we orient our being toward its ultimate destination. Viola's artistic expression engages primarily images of emotional extremities and opposites: joy versus sadness, love and anger, shame to pride, astonishment and fear. But what seems to resonate from all of his work is a harmonious sense of profound acceptance, giving into nature, and of balance. This appears to fit within the scheme of an inherent law, which dictates that anything 'un-centered' will have a natural counter-effect that will compel it towards its equilibrium. Similar to a pendulum, everything will in time find its own center, a place of stillness, a 'one-ness' with nature. For me, Viola's work points to this perfect state, revealing to us the natural course of human evolution. By using a subject matter familiar to all, he enables us a glimpse into the intangible ‚ a higher state of being, and our inexorable path towards it. Quietly, his art whispers of an essence from within that continually guides our course, along the way stripping our limits, uncovering our true 'self,' and ultimately, leading us to understand and accept that which just, is. Hence, we rise. At the end of my journey, I shuffled my way out from a dark room, my mind filled with thoughts of what I had just seen and experienced. Pushing the exit doors open, my lids were immediately drawn shut by the glistening sun hovering over a beautiful Los Angeles day. As they slowly adjusted, the darkness being washed away by brightness, my eyes began to see emotions in a different light. For now they no longer were simply feelings of pleasure or pain, but rather, a sign of transcendence and of, hope. CLOSING STATEMENT: I was asked to write this article never having written a commentary of this type, along with the open format offered by Mr. Cole and his encouragement of being true to my own interpretations, I decided to take this novel approach. Rather than explaining my feelings with respect to the message being conveyed by the artist and his work, I instead, attempted to derive my own meaning with as little bias or outside influence as possible. Even though I did take a pamphlet, which I am assured, describes Viola's artistic methodology and the underlying message embodied in his art, I refrained from reading it and only browsed the pictures at a later date as a reminder and with a partial skim through Viola's biography, my journey began. BIO-PROFILE: Michael Nguyen, born in Saigon where he lived until the age of five, came to America two years after Vietnam fell to communist rule, when his mother made a decision to flee the country with her seven children in search of a better future. He grew up in Orange County, and went to the University of Southern California where he earned a Finance Degree, which enabled him to work as a Management Consultant for five years. Towards the middle of 2002, Michael took a sabbatical to reevaluate the direction of his life and to consider alternate career paths which would lead him to his greater passions. After backpacking alone through Europe for over two months during that summer, he has since returned and currently aspires to be a professional writer. Mr. Nguyen has a broad range of literary interest, but particularly loves to read books on Eastern Philosophy and spiritual advancement as well as enjoys meditating in his spare time while residing in Los Angeles. April Newsletter Go To Current Newsletter