Nicholas Kersulis

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Six of these works combine a framed photograph with a group of five paintings (either oil on jute or oil on canvas). All of these composite works utilize particular proximities between their parts, best activated when in relation to an actual architectural corner. It is especially apparent for within without the space of a corner (not there—here), which is comprised of two door-sized black mirrors that temporally reflect viewers themselves. Mirrors continually change what they represent, and this ever-changing reflection best reveals what within/without attempts to do as art: (not there—here) is an operative work where representation is continuously becoming self-reflexive. The work consistently changes what or who it represents, dependent upon the observer and the internalized contexts they inject into the space of the work.

within without the space of a corner (he spent days wandering with headphones on, lest he forget his heritage) 2010–2013; oil on jute on panels comprising five parts 78 × 73”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
artist’s photograph; caption reads “The difference within—’God Save The Queen She Ain’t No Human Being’”
within without the space of a corner (he spent days wandering with headphones on, lest he forget his heritage) detail
within without the space of a corner (after death, but before burial) 2013; oil on jute on panels comprising five parts 76 × 72 × 1¾”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
within without the space of a corner (after death, but before burial) detail
within without the space of a corner (after death, but before burial) detail
within without the space of a corner (the time spent daydreaming is immeasurable) 2013; oil on jute on panels comprising five parts 76 × 72 × 1¾”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
June 3, 1968: Attempted Assassination of Andy Warhol (“Before I was shot, I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there—I always suspected that I was watching TV instead of living life. People sometimes say that the way things happen in movies is unreal, but actually, it’s the way things happen in life that’s unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things really do happen to you, it’s like watching television—you don’t feel anything. Right when I was being shot and ever since, I knew that I was watching television. The channels switch, but it's all television.”)

June 5, 1968 Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (As a staff photographer for Look magazine in 1968, Paul Fusco was commissioned to document all the the events surrounding the RFK funeral, including the eight-hour journey from New York to Washington D.C. on the train that carried Kennedy’s coffin. Shooting approximately 2,000 pictures from inside, Fusco had a unique vantage point resulting in one of the most powerful and affecting series of photographs ever taken. He captured the thousands of Americans from every section of society—black, white, poor, rich—who stood by the railroad tracks to pay their final respects to Bobby Kennedy).
within without the space of a corner (the time spent daydreaming is immeasurable) detail
within without the space of a corner (not there—here) 2013/2015; two black mirror panels installed equidistant from a corner 78 × 35 × ¼” each
within without the space of a corner (not there—here) 2015 detail
within without the space of a corner (not there—here) 2013 detail
within without the space of a corner (he spent days wondering if he could forget his heritage) 2013; oil on canvas, comprising five parts 76 × 72 × 1¾”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
video stills appropriated from a Youtube video of the 2011 London riots; this bystander footage shows the second robbery of Ashraf Rossli, a Malaysian student who was beaten and robbed twice by looters; captions transcribed from the uploaded video.
within without the space of a corner (he spent days wondering if he could forget his heritage) detail
within without the space of a corner (he got his TV eye on you) 2013; oil on canvas, comprising five parts 76 × 72 × 1¾”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
c-print depicts several self-portraits taken using a mirror, the camera blocking portions of the artist’s face; both captions read the same: ‘The present moment always gone.’
within without the space of a corner (he got his TV eye on you) detail
within without the space of a corner (be here I) 2013; oil on canvas, comprising five parts 76 × 72 × 1¾”; c-print mounted on aluminum and framed 24¼ × 16¼”
artist’s photograph depicts a six-foot jute panel used in another work with its color de-saturated: the shown mirror image, however, retains its red/blue contrasting hues; caption reads, ‘This photograph has been manipulated using Photoshop. The area that represents the surface of one of my paintings has been desaturated of chroma, while the mirror image retains actual coloration.’
within without the space of a corner (be here I) detail
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