Tony Oursler's 'Specular' opens at Kunstraum Dornbirn

3 September 2021

For his project Specular at Kunstraum Dornbirn (from 2 September to 21 November 2021), Tony Oursler continues a series begun in 1996, here producing seven new spherical digital projections of macro shots of eyes. The work explores the artist’s fascination with public attraction to mimetic moving image technology, the paradoxical position of the viewer, and the interests in representations of the world instead the world itself.

Incorporating 4K technology to capture digital reflections in the cornea and iris of the viewer as they absorb information in a trance-like state, the works question the trajectory of the social fabric inherent in this process. Specular's seven new projections deal with the construction of conspiracy theories, their prevalence on social media today and their creative and destructive energy, as well as exploring the pseudoscience of iridology and psychedelics. The viewer is invited to wander through the installation and participate in its layered perspective that incorporates literal reflections and various special effects. The work also documents and takes inspiration from the visual artist Christine Nguyen Hung’s struggle to regain her sight as a metaphor for the balance between inner vision and overlapping world views.

Find out more about Specular via Kunstraum Dornbirn.

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