Christian Marclay and Josiah McElheny

Join genre-bending artists Christian Marclay and Josiah McElheny as they discuss their artistic practices and the stunning works featured in our galleries. Curator at Large Bill Horrigan moderates the discussion. Everyone attending the conversation is also invited to stay for the Winter Exhibitions Preview, which follows. The galleries open at 4 PM, so that you can see the shows before the conversation.

“Christian Marclay, the wizardly visual artist, composer, and appropriator has done it again, and then some.”—New York Times on The Clock

An artist who collapses and combines sight and sound, Marclay has worked in a wide variety of art forms, including video, performance, sculpture, and photography, over the past three decades. He has created an international sensation with The Clock, a hypnotic 24-hour video work that literally tells the time. The Clock features thousands of movie scenes depicting clocks, watches, and other timepieces, spliced together seamlessly and precisely synced to our local time. So that visitors can experience The Clock at any or every point in its full 24-hour duration, our galleries will occasionally stay open all night and through the following morning. The first 24-hour viewing period begins with the preview celebration. The Clock will remain open through the night exclusively for our members and other preview guests. (Please note that space in the gallery is limited, viewers are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, and you may need to wait in line to view The Clock.)

“The success of Josiah McElheny…lies in his ability to dazzle the mind and the eye, marrying history, science, and aesthetic theory with virtuosic presentations.”—ArtInfo

McElheny often combines glass with other materials to investigate and visualize complex concepts regarding everything from philosophy to physics. In his exhibition Towards a Light Club, he explores the history of modernist utopias in a series of kaleidoscopic projections, narrative films (including one post-produced with support from the Wex’s Film/Video Studio Program), stunning illuminated sculptures, and other projects. A former Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient, McElheny constructs dazzling sculptures and installations, as well as films, performances, curatorial projects, and even "parties," all as part of his work about the history of aesthetics.

Both Marclay and McElheny have exhibited at the Wexner Center in the past. We are thrilled to welcome them back for this discussion of their shared and divergent interests.

The Lambert Family Lecture 2012 is made possible by generous support from the Lambert Family Lecture Series Endowment, which promotes dialogue about global issues in art and contemporary culture.