Contemporary by Angela Li gallery is proud to present “Tony Oursler”, a solo exhibition. On show will be a selection of Oursler’s most iconic video installations as well as 2D video works and his most recent micro installation works. The show will open during the week of ART HK 12 and the artist will be present for the exhibition, his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.
Renowned American multimedia and video artist Tony Oursler (b. 1957) is primarily known for his original and innovative combination of video, sculpture and performance. This solo exhibition will present a diverse mixture of his new works in new formats and also some of his earlier iconic works.
Oursler blurs the boundaries between the organic and the artificial in his video sculptures and installations. As one of the first video artists, Oursler has been experimenting with and developing video art in New York since the 1970’s. Best known for his use of video footage of human faces projected onto spheres, dolls and other three dimensional surfaces, Oursler’s works are mesmerizing: they are sculptural objects that seem to be alive, returning your startled gaze as they mutter, twitch and scream.
Psychological disorder, the relationship between mass media and the human mind, youth culture and wireless communication are among the themes evoked and explored with humour and irony in Oursler’s vividly surreal imaginings. In his latest micro installations, a new format he has been working in, he invites you to closely inspect the rich, complex miniature worlds created; combining projections of performances and texts, in elaborate editing structures which form interlocking loops, the artist creates a micro-cosmology whose characters interact as though they embody ontological patterns. These works ask the question: Is technology an extension of human nature or vice versa?
Omar-Pascual, Artistic Director at the Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno, Spain, said of his works, “He is too complex an artist, too versatile, too lucid, too un-trappable, too experimental, too playful and too much fun to allow himself to be caught by the words of a mere critic – so many years and so many innate professional malformations having prevented me from taking the viewpoint of a simple, passive spectator. Each time I approach his works I re-discover and re-understand it anew. This feeling of surprise, unknowing and uncertainty arises naturally because Oursler does not allow you to catch his drift, he does not allow you to get bored.”
Among the selection will be Oursler’s large installation of eyes, where he continues his exploration of the isolated gaze. This series, which began in the mid 90’s, involves micro shots of various eyes with media reflections in the surface. In his new series, he highlights the new shift in media and their uses, specifically the internet.
