American contemporary video artist. Born in New York City, attended Syracuse University, where he received his BFA (bachelor of fine arts)in 1973. Since then, Viola has pioneered the use of video in fine art installation. Viola is still working today, and, as a matter of fact, has a couple of permanent exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Viola's work centers around many spiritual and psychological aspects. From perceptual psychology to zen beliefs, Viola has been known to touch many facets. Using a lot of art historical references to bring meaning to his work, Viola has become a hot new artist (even though he's been working since the 70s) to big name museums, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim.