TONY OURSLER

Tony Oursler (b. 1952, New York) is a multimedia artist who explores the psychological effects of technology and media on human perception, often incorporating projection into his research-based projects in worldwide galleries, museums, and public spaces. Oursler’s work has been widely discussed among academic circles over the past decades by theorists such as Hal Foster, Noam M. Elcott, Pascal Rousseau, and Ann-Katrin Günzel. The exhibition __Transmission showcases the breadth of his career, from the early signature piece to his latest work, being shown for the first time.

The exhibition begins with Blue Mood (1992), which takes viewers back to Oursler’s early experimentation in the 1990s. Featuring a cloth doll with a video-projected head encased in a suitcase, this haunting piece combines video projection with physical sculpture, creating a surprising and magical experience.

My Saturnian Lover(s) (2016–2017) is an immersive video installation set in Modernism’s waning years, the late 1940s. Reflecting Oursler’s ongoing interests in the pop-cultural archive, this work is based on a loose group of real UFO photography. These grainy images of glowing white discs reflect a collision between technology and myth. The boundaries between reality and subcultural fantasy blur, echoing Oursler’s broader interest in the impact of mass media on perception.

The exhibition also features Oursler’s Facial Recognition series, which utilises algorithmic patterns from this software to explore the influence of digital media on identity perception. Oursler claims the new human portrait is created by the machine’s view of us, consisting not of images alone but of “aggregated numbers and scraped data, which is used to cross-reference and predict our every move.” He proposes that this data could also be used to creative purposes if made available to the public.

Wikkae (2024) presents a new series of stock characters, specifically a new-age practitioner, brought to life through a digital lens that animates the face. This small figure floats above an imaginary landscape that suggests a volcanic ruin, hinting at a renewed interest in pseudoscientific systems and the occult as a means of rejecting technology. This theme is further explored with Eu/An (2024), a colourful wall screen in the form of a crystaline structure. Combining digital screens and polychromed mirrors, this piece implies a convergence of technology and nature, where New Age crystal power and high-tech nanotechnology meet, identifying our current moment as one of re-enchantment.

Oursler often engages with themes that are inherently unsettling, challenging our belief systems. Through his assemblage of elements from creativity, technology, sci-fi, and pop culture, he creates immersive environments that are both psychologically disturbing and poetically evocative, oscillating between the absurd and the profound. His works, both electric and spiritual, sometimes employ humour while harnessing material forms to critique media and show us how it can shape and distort reality. Oursler’s works offer viewers a chance to reflect on these issues and suggest new creative paths forward for technology.