An immersive exhibition examining the relationships between media, belief systems, and contemporary experience
From 3 July to 27 September 2026, Tokyo Node presents Tony Oursler: Between Technology and Spiritual Knowledge – Magic, Media, and Art, a major exhibition dedicated to one of the pioneers of contemporary video installation. The exhibition brings together historical works, recent projects, archival material, and newly commissioned installations, offering an extensive overview of Oursler’s ongoing investigation into the connections between technology, perception, psychology, and spirituality.
The Tony Oursler exhibition Tokyo presents an opportunity to experience an artistic practice that has continually questioned how images influence human perception.
Combining sculpture, projected video, sound, text, and light, Oursler constructs immersive environments that encourage visitors to reflect on the invisible structures shaping everyday life, from digital networks and surveillance systems to myths, paranormal beliefs, and the persistent human search for meaning.
A Pioneer Of Video Installation
Tony Oursler has long expanded the possibilities of moving images within sculpture and installation. Rather than treating video as a flat medium, his works transform projections into physical presences that occupy architectural space, often creating characters and environments that blur the boundaries between object, performance, and psychological experience.
Across decades of artistic practice, Oursler has investigated the ways narratives are constructed through media while examining the tensions between scientific knowledge, popular culture, religion, conspiracy theories, and the paranormal. Humor frequently accompanies these investigations, allowing complex subjects to remain accessible while preserving their conceptual depth.
Major Works Across Three Decades
The exhibition surveys significant moments throughout the artist’s career, including early works such as Private (1994–1997) and the more recent Specular (2021), which includes the participation of Jim Shaw. These projects are presented alongside previously unrealized works that have now been produced more than twenty-five years after their conception, demonstrating the continuity of Oursler’s ideas across different technological eras.
Visitors will also encounter new site-specific installations created specifically for Tokyo Node. These works extend the artist’s interest in adapting his environments to the physical and conceptual characteristics of each exhibition space, reinforcing the immersive quality that defines much of his practice.
Magic, Media, And Invisible Systems
One of the exhibition’s central themes is the relationship between technological systems and invisible forms of knowledge. Rather than presenting technology as neutral, Oursler explores how digital communication, surveillance, data flows, signals, and contemporary media shape individual perception in ways that often remain unnoticed.
The exhibition places these contemporary concerns alongside longstanding human fascinations with spirituality, magic, religion, and unidentified phenomena. Instead of separating scientific inquiry from belief systems, Oursler investigates how both continue to influence modern culture and collective imagination.
Archive As Artistic Practice
An important component of the exhibition is a curated selection drawn from Oursler’s personal archive of approximately 3,000 objects related to science, magic, and unidentified phenomena. These materials provide additional insight into the research that informs his installations, revealing how historical documents, cultural artifacts, and speculative ideas contribute to the development of his artistic language.
The combination of installations, archival material, and newly realized projects positions the exhibition as both a retrospective survey and an exploration of ideas that continue to evolve.
Experiencing Contemporary Art In Tokyo
Presented at Tokyo Node, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to encounter one of contemporary art’s most influential practitioners of immersive media installations. Through its combination of historical works, new commissions, and research material, the exhibition invites audiences to consider how technology, storytelling, and belief continue to shape the ways we understand reality.
For readers planning future cultural journeys, explore more international exhibitions through Lemon Art Magazine’s global art agenda.
