Tony Oursler / gallery

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"Two Beasts," a video collaboration by Tony Oursler and David Askevold, "Is an eloquent meditation on Davids way of working and looking at things; at his obvious pleasure in cooperation, process and experimentation," (Anne Pontegnie, curator.)

Oursler and Askevold first met in the 1970s at CalArts. The two initially collaborated on music and remained friends over the years. Finally, they decided to begin a long-term project that eventually culminated in "Two Beasts," which was created between 2007 and 2010. The concept was based on the choosing of a specific time and activity. The two artists would then create drawings, paintings, photographs and videos - within certain loose parameters - related to that time and activity. They exchanged their work via the internet. After numerous sessions, David became unexpectedly ill and after some months, tragically passed away. This is the first time "Two Beasts" has been shown in a public forum.

This collaboration is shown as part of a retrospective of Askevolds work, on view at the Consortium in Dijon through January 31, 2011. The exhibition will travel to the Camden Arts Centre in London in Mid-2011. "Two Beasts" is Part I of a larger collaboration that includes drawings, photographs and other ephemera. These works are scheduled to be shown at a later date.