Art Whisper
Art Whisper
Tony Oursler, 1980
This 1980 furnishing fabric by multimedia artist Tony Oursler offers a rare look at his early explorations in textile design, a departure from the video installations he would become famous for.
Get the full experience in Art Whisper
Tony Oursler, an artist renowned for his innovative use of video, sculpture, and installation, created this furnishing fabric, "Linoleum," in 1980. While Oursler is perhaps best known for his fractured-narrative videotapes and later immersive projections featuring talking heads and figures, this early work offers a glimpse into his broader artistic explorations. Produced the year after he completed his BFA at CalArts, a period when he was also developing his early single-channel video tapes like 'The Loner,' this fabric piece speaks to a different facet of his creative output. The medium, a screen-printed cotton satin weave, suggests an engagement with design and repetitive patterns, a stark contrast to the dynamic, often unsettling video installations that would define much of his later career. It underscores the diverse experimental environment of artists like Oursler, who moved between various mediums before solidifying their signature styles in the burgeoning contemporary art scene of the 1980s.
The repeated pattern, a detail often overlooked in Oursler's oeuvre
The texture of the warp-float faced satin weave
The screen-printed design, hinting at early graphic interests
This 1980 furnishing fabric by multimedia artist Tony Oursler offers a rare look at his early explorations in textile design, a departure from the video instal…
Tony Oursler is a multimedia artist who transforms video projection into expressive faces on dolls, objects, and even buildings, creating captivating, often unsettling, narratives.
Read Tony's full story in Art WhisperOpen the App