When Tony Oursler
burst on the New York scene in the early 1990s with his so-called video dolls,
he had already been working in video and performance for more than a decade,
with assemblage playing an important role in his theatrical tableaux. As these
assembled set pieces became independent works of art—now animated by
projections that inserted a human presence into his work—Oursler revolutionized
both contemporary sculpture and installation art. “Hideaway” typifies these
hybrid works. A unique sculpture, it is part of a larger series that unites
video, found objects (typically overturned furniture), and images of people.
“Hideaway” was conceived and created with performance artist Tracy Leipold, one
of Oursler’s chief collaborators and muses.

“Hideaway”
reflects Oursler’s fascination with dream states and transference. Speaking
from under the overturned chair, the protagonist commands attention while
expressing the wish to escape notice. Leipold brings an extraordinary range of
emotion into the deceptively simple and carefully scripted monologue. Muttering
and whispering, and then rising to a scream, she alternately confronts and
cajoles the viewer, saying: “I’m getting smaller (and smaller). . . . You’ll
never even see me. We never met. Forget this face. Turn away and forget this
face. . . . I’m gone. Bye-bye.”