On View

Jake Couri

A Stone’s Throw

Jake Couri draws from both historical and imagined sites, addressing the interchangeable nature of the virtual and its dynamic conditions.

Jake Couri. A Stone's Throw, 2022. Video still. 9:00 minutes

A Stone’s Throw draws inspiration from the late sixteenth-century print series Nova Reperta, in which the invention of oil painting is depicted amongst many other discoveries of the modern world. The referenced process has been reconstructed, digitized, and thrown into an abyss-like environment, remnant of simulation games where tasks are endlessly performed in search for reward. Through these embellished and stripped-down poses, the character repeats several actions to harvest pigment in a space where color cannot be extracted, and tangible outcomes are futile.

Foley and Sound Design: Kris Force
Animation: Tal Hershkovich


About the Artist

Jake Couri (b. 1989) is an artist working in sculpture and video exploring facets of mining, manufacturing, global tourism, and gaming worlds. Jake’s interests lie in the industries driving mass consumption and the growing shift towards a digital future. His work has been shown at Milan Machinima Festival in Milan, IT, Public Records in Brooklyn, NY, and Superposition Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. He’s completed Artist in Residence programs at NARS Foundation in Brooklyn, NY, Anderson Ranch in Snowmass Village, CO, and Shiro Oni in Onishi, JP. Jake received his MFA with honors from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA. He lives and works in New York City.