The leading US artist Bill Viola is due to install another biblical multi-screen video work in St Paul’s Cathedral in London next month. Mary (2016) will be a companion piece to Viola’s Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), which was unveiled in the South Quire aisle in 2014. The new installation, which shows Mary carrying the body of Jesus, is scheduled to be unveiled in the North Quire aisle on 8 September.
Both installations have been given to the Tate by the Bill Viola studio but will be on permanent display in the cathedral. The Tate’s conservation team will help maintain the works, which were made in collaboration with Viola’s partner, Kira Perov.
The cost of producing and installing the two large-scale installations, filmed over several years, is £2.5m, says a spokeswoman for the project. This has been raised through the sale of a special edition provided by the artist’s studio as well as contributions from several individuals and trusts. Key supporters include the Art Fund, the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts and Viola’s London-based dealer, Blain Southern.
Viola says in a statement: “If I am successful, the final pieces will function both as aesthetic objects of contemporary art and as practical objects of traditional contemplation and devotion.”