Skip to content

Tony Oursler

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

Kaohsiung

Jan 23–May 16, 2021

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Black Box is the first major museum exhibition in Asia devoted to the full scope of the career of Tony Oursler (b. 1957, New York), widely considered to be among the pioneers of American multimedia and video art. Oursler has been consistently redefining moving image and installation art through innovative and diverse methods of incorporating video, sculpture and performance into his practice, breaking video art out of the two-dimensional screen to create unique and transformative moving three- dimensional environment with the use of projections. Black Box reveals his fascination of mystical phenomenon and origin of the camera obscura conjuring immersive experience through technologies of projection, video screens and optical devices.

In the intersection of multimedia, audio-visual practice and poetry, Oursler develops lifelike video sculptures which simulate human psychological characteristics. With satire humors, he guides viewers through image environment to explore the human mind, spirit, popular culture, and the ambiguity of modern technology. As Black Box is the first full-scale retrospective of Tony Oursler in Asia, this momentous exhibition will showcase his most definitive video installations, experimental films, and cinema work over nearly four decades.

Installation view of Tony Oursler at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Installation Views: 1 of 7
Installation view of Tony Oursler at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Installation Views: 1 of 6
Installation by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

LOCK 2, 4, 6, 2010

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Open Obscura, 1996/2013

Installation by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Judy, 1994

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Deg, 2004

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Broo, 2004

Projection by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Imponderable, 2015-2016

Projection by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Blue Phased MPD (25 heads), 1999

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

db, 1997

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

FuzzyU, 2019

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Xes, 2015

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

2§ba, 2019

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Untitled, 2004

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Pattern, 2012

Sculpture & Video Panel by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Waxy Catatonia, 1994

Painting with video by Tony Oursler

Tony Oursler

Luddite, 2017

Portrait of Tony Oursler

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.

Learn about the artist
Black Box | Lehmann Maupin