Tony Oursler at the Met: "Studio" and "Climaxed"

This exhibition presents two installations by the internationally renowned artist Tony Oursler (American, b. 1954) that have never before been on view in the United States.

In Studio: Seven Months of My Aesthetic Education (Plus Some), NYC Version, inspired by Gustave Courbet's The Artist's Studio: A real allegory of a seven year phase in my artistic and moral life (1855), Oursler creates his own three-dimensional studio identical in scale to Courbet's painting. He brings in "studio visitors" who make appearances on a large video screen. Visitors include family members, friends, and colleagues, such as filmmaker Robert Altman, artists John Baldessari and Constance de Jong, and musicians David Bowie and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon. All share stories or comments, or act out roles. Also included in are "inspirational objects," such as a Rem Koolhaas architectural model and works by Kaare Rafoss, a friend and former teacher, and Jacqueline Humphries. Oursler is represented in Studio by a laughing, glowing blob onto which a video of multiple eyes is projected. This differs from Courbet, who portrays himself facing away from the viewer. As Oursler explains, "Courbet chose to depict himself at work, turned away from the viewer, looking into the picture space. I want to be in the work, the picture space, looking out at the viewer/participant."

Tony Oursler (b. 1957, New York, NY; lives and works in New York, NY) is best known for his innovative integration of video, sculpture, performance and installation. A pioneering figure in new media since the 1970s, Oursler has since explored diverse methods of exploring popular culture, historical and sub-cultural themes while incorporating the moving image into his practice, breaking video art out of the two-dimensional screen to create immersive environments with the use of light sound and projections. In 2000, Oursler began a series of large scale outdoor projection projects which incorporate landscape, water, smoke, trees, architecture, performative and sculptural elements; some are permanently installed. His sculptures, wall works and installations present a rich visual multimedia experience which often incorporates cultural references and information that seeks to actively engage the viewer. His artworks often employ poetics and humor to explore a wide range of subjects such as belief systems, facial recognition, superstition, conspiracy theories, UFOs and the role technology plays in altering, inhibiting, and expanding social behavior.

Oursler received a B.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts in 1979. Solo exhibitions of his work have been organized at Kunst Museum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland (forthcoming, 2025); Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL (2024); SCAI PIRAMIDE, Tokyo, Japan (2024); Photo Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland (2022); K11 Musea, Hong Kong (2021); Kunstraum Dornbirn, Dornbirn, Austria (2021); Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (2021); Musée d’Arts de Nantes, Nantes, France (2020); Nanging Eye Pedestrian Bridge, Nanjing, China (2019); Public Art Fund, New York, NY (2018); The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (2016); LUMA Foundation, Arles, France (2015); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2014); Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom (2013); Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, Brazil (2013); Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, Ukraine (2013); Art Sonje Center, Seoul, South Korea (2012); ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark (2012); and Jeu de Paume, Paris, France, traveling to the DA2 Domus Artium, Salamanca, Spain, and the Kunstforeningen, Copenhagen, Denmark (2005), among numerous others.

About the Artist