“Art is, for me, the process of trying to wake up the soul.” To Bill Viola, sense perception is a channel to self-knowledge, and a way to awaken audiences to the mysteries of their inner selves. How does he do it? His video installations, sound environments, and electronic-music performances target the definitive processes of birth, consciousness, and death. In a retrospective featuring 10 works that span 20 years, here is a chance to get to know Viola—and yourself. —E.C.