Poetic (Coda) #47

Tony Oursler

A pioneer of new media art, Tony Oursler is best known for his eerie projections and multimedia works, which often explore the human psyche and its relationship with technology. Oursler designs unique immersive experiences that combine film, sculpture, installation, and performance in order to convey the feelings—such as obsession, escapism, and isolation—that result from our dependencies on computers and virtual networks. His works include lightbulbs that appear to speak to passersby and ghoulish sculptural figures with projected human faces, which are often accompanied by sound works featuring incomprehensible monologues. Oursler has exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, London, and Basel. His work has sold for six figures at auction and belongs in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among other institutions. Oursler attended California Institute of the Arts and studied under John Baldessari.