Devil/Angel depicts a battle between devils and angels, representing the conflict between good and evil in the netherworld. The name “Lucifer” (the original devil) etymologically means “bearer of light,” an association that held particular resonance when the medium of video first emerged and people compared its impact to demonic power. Oursler explores questions about where and in what ways light creates form, expanding meaning into concepts of perception. In Blue Flame, he appropriates symbols like skulls, candles, and moths, which elements traditionally used by Dutch Old Masters in their Vanitas paintings to express life’s transience.
