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Tony Oursler — Troubler
Tony Oursler

Troubler

1996

Two cloth dolls are mounted on a wooden stand, their faces animated by projected video imagery that brings them to life with shifting expressions and unsettling speech. Oursler's signature technique of projecting moving facial features onto sculptural figures creates an eerie sense of consciousness trapped within inanimate forms. The work explores themes of psychological distress, duality, and the uncanny through the interplay of physical objects and digital media.

Medium
2 dolls, wooden stand, player, projector and digital video cassette
Dimensions
Signed
Yes

Notes

Execution: Executed in 1996. Literature: Elizabeth Janus and Gloria Moure, eds.,

🔨 Auction Lot

Modern & Contemporary Art

February 28, 2026

Estimate: $10,000$15,000

Sold: $16,770

Lot 150

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About this work

Tony Oursler, Troubler, 1996

Two cloth dolls are mounted on a wooden stand, their faces animated by projected video imagery that brings them to life with shifting expressions and unsettling speech. Oursler's signature technique of projecting moving facial features onto sculptural figures creates an eerie sense of consciousness trapped within inanimate forms. The work explores themes of psychological distress, duality, and the uncanny through the interplay of physical objects and digital media.

Medium
2 dolls, wooden stand, player, projector and digital video cassette
Dimensions
33 x 35.6 cm
Year
1996
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Projected Imagery, Male Artist, Mixed Media Installation, Contemporary Artist, American Artist, Late 20th Century, Multimedia Sculpture, Eerie Mood, Video Art, Dolls And Puppetry, Surrealist Undertones, Figurative

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