From Sharne Wolff…
Tony Oursler was born in New York in 1957. His art covers a range of mediums including video, sculpture, installation, performance and painting while his resume fills a dozen or so printed pages. As a result the three works in this show provide a mere glimpse of the artist’s oeuvre although they do give Sydneysiders the chance to get an impression of the artist’s work without having to jump on a plane.
It’s been said that Oursler “freed video from the tyranny of the monitor” and his work explore ideas with the medium of video but without being restricted to the traditional ‘frame’ or screen. He combines images made with only a few actors (and usually himself) with his own poetry as soundtrack. The pictures are then projected onto soft sculptures to produce unorthodox installations.
The best time to visit the exhibition is the later afternoon or evening because Incandescence, a performance piece comprising a soundtrack and a bare light bulb is installed outside the gallery and can’t be viewed to full effect during the day. Vision -Tracey Doll (1994) and the wonderfully weird and kooky Spectar (2006) are the other two works in the show.
Jensen Gallery, Paddington
Until 25 August 2012
Pic: Tony Ousler ‘Spectar’ (side view) 2006 , video projection on soft sculpture. Courtesy the artist and Jensen Gallery.
