Skip to Main Content

Stan Douglas | Hors-champs

Location

Space

Dates

Stan Douglas (b. 1960, Vancouver) works in film, photography, and installation. Within his practice, he investigates the context of history, considers alternative narratives, and examines the intersections between race, class, and power. He gained international acclaim in 1992, when he premiered his first multichannel video installation, Hors-champs, at Documenta, a highly regarded exhibition of contemporary art presented every five years in Kassel, Germany. Hors-champs, which translates from French as “off-screen” or “off-camera,” is simultaneously a work of fiction and a document of a performance. Projected on opposite sides of a suspended screen, it features Douglas Ewart (saxophone), George Lewis (trombone), Kent Carter (bass), and Oliver Johnson (drums). The quartet riffs on Albert Ayler’s Spirits Rejoice (1965), a composition that incorporates reworked passages from the French and US national anthems while also drawing on gospel, military fanfare, and other musical traditions.

Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image showing two men in conversation, one seated and the other leaning in

Artwork Stills

Stan Douglas

Still from two-channel video showing a bass player on the left and a drummer at a drum kit on the right.

Stan Douglas

Still from two-channel video showing a saxophone player on the left and a bass player and drummer on the right.

Stan Douglas

A still of a two-channel video showing musicians playing saxophone and trombone

Stan Douglas

Still of two-channel video showing one musician playing saxophone and another holding a trombone.

Stan Douglas

Still of two-channel video showing title card reading "HORS-CHAMPS" and musicians legs.

Stan Douglas

Still from two-channel video showing a musician playing trombone.

Stan Douglas

Still from two-channel video showing a drummer in motion and one musician speaking to another.

Installation Views

  • Gallery corner with a wall reading “STAN DOUGLAS | HORS-CHAMPS” and an exhibition text panel to the right
  • Gallery wall with the text “STAN DOUGLAS | HORS-CHAMPS” and an exhibition description label to the right
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black screen displaying the text “HORS-CHAMPS” in large white letters
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image of a man playing a saxophone
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image of a drummer playing a drum kit
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image of two men, one playing an upright bass while the other looks on
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image of a jazz band, showing musicians with a bass, drums, and saxophone
  • Dark gallery space with a projected black-and-white image showing two men in conversation, one seated and the other leaning in
  • Dark gallery space with a large projected black-and-white image of a man playing a brass instrument

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Stan Douglas | Hors-champs, Davis Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2025. Photo: Abby Lank