Three Women
Bill Viola, 2008
Color high-definition video on plasma display · 9:06 min
The Met Hotel Art Collection, Thessaloniki
Description:
In Three Women, Bill Viola presents a poignant, slow-motion tableau of a mother and her two daughters confronting a shimmering, watery threshold. The figures emerge from darkness, approach an invisible divide of cascading water, and momentarily pass into a radiant, illuminated space—before each returns, with hesitation, to the dim realm. From the eldest to the youngest, their gradual withdrawal invites deep reflection on life’s passages.
This work belongs to Viola’s Transfigurations series, which explores transformation, time, and metaphorical crossings between life and death—an artistic expression inspired by both his personal near‑drowning and broader mystical traditions.
🔍 Highlights & Interpretation
Threshold of transformation: Water serves as a potent symbol and liminal barrier—evoking mythic baptism, purification, and transition between realms.
Slow-motion ritual: The nearly imperceptible pacing stretches minutes into an immersive experience, inviting us to mirror the emotional weight of crossing significant life boundaries.
Universal allegory: Without dialogue or context, the silent journey of these three women becomes an archetypal meditation—on family, loss, legacy, and what lies beyond.