An exhibition charting the visionary voyages of pioneering video artist Bill Viola has gone on show in Rome.
Palazzo delle Esposizioni is hosting the exhibit, which spans the most recent period, 1995-2007, of the US artist's three-decade career.
Speaking at the show's inauguration, curator Kira Perov described the underlying theme of Viola's work.
''It's a spiritual journey devoted to those in search of themselves; a visualisation of the mysteries of life,'' said Perov, who is also the artist's wife and long-time collaborator.
The exhibition will feature a mix of some of his well-known large-scale installations, such as The Crossing and The Veiling, as well as smaller works on plasma screens.
A number of these include video reinterpretations of iconic images from traditional art history, such as The Greeting and Emergence.
Viola, who also attended the show's inauguration, explained his long-time fascination with traditional art, fired by a two-year stay in Florence during the 1970s.
''For the first time I really saw the great masterpieces of the Renaissance,'' he said.
''I discovered that the artists created their works in public places, in churches, in palaces, cathedrals, and that these were dedicated to people''.
Although Viola creates in a field that many would consider far removed from traditional art, he perceives his work as closely linked to artists throughout the ages.
''All art is contemporary and Giotto and Raphael are still young avant-guarde artists able to change the world,'' he said.
Perov also highlighted the similarities between Viola's work and that of artists from past times, pointing to an exhibition on the Etruscans currently running in the same museum.
''It's an emotional experience to find ourselves here, at the same time as this exhibit, because the art from this ancient culture also focuses on shared themes such as the fragility of existence, mortality and immortality,'' she said.
Entitled Bill Viola. Visioni interiori (Bill Viola: Interior Visions), the exhibition runs until January 6.
