Mr Oursler’s dysfunctional poltergeists come back to haunt the Lisson (17 September-1 November) in much the same way that they have been doing in various galleries for the past few decades, as bizarre garrulous personages projected onto spooky stuffed sculptures and constantly muttering their paranoid psychobabble. Lacking noses, but possessing animation in abundance, these little gremlins, have a voodoo-like impact. Although they never draw breath, they manage to bypass language and head straight for the darker recesses of our collective subconscious (above, “Yell”, 2003). There is more unconscious exploration in the Lisson’s other space, with a DVD by maverick performer-infiltrator Christian Jankowski which shows a magician changing gallery visitors into sheep and back again as they visit a show on magic-related art which has the title, perhaps appropriately, of “con art”.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Tony Oursler/Christian Jankowski. Lisson Gallery'