Recognition (image 1-2.1), 2020

This unique collage edition by Tony Oursler incorporates a polystyrene mirror element that simultaneously obscures and transforms the figure’s right eye – creating an eerie, dehumanized effect while also inviting reflection, both literal and metaphorical. As the viewer catches their own image or the surrounding space within the surface, the work becomes interactive, animated by presence and shaped by context. The work is part of Oursler’s Recognition series, which explores the uneasy intersection of technology and identity through the lens of facial recognition. In these works, he overlays photographic portraits with colorful data points, geometric forms, and computer-generated markers – referencing the algorithms used to map, categorize, and surveil human faces. These so-called "data portraits" visualize how machines interpret us, raising urgent questions about privacy, surveillance, and the shifting boundaries between human and machine perception. Oursler’s work ultimately reflects a world in which identity is increasingly defined – and distorted – by digital systems.