Christian Marclay’s video montage Doors at White Cube Mason’s Yard

Christian Marclay, a London and New York-based artist and composer, pioneers the fusion of sound recording, photography, video, and film. Born in California in 1955, raised in Switzerland, and holding dual nationality due to his American mother, he honed his craft at institutions like the Ecole Supérieure d’Art Visuel in Geneva and the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. As a performer and sound artist, Marclay's groundbreaking work with phonograph records and turntables since 1979, influenced by Marcel Duchamp, has given rise to a unique "theater of found sound."

His innovative approach has inspired generations of musicians, artists, and theorists. Doors hold rich symbolism, concealing or revealing, playing with light and dark, interior and exterior, open and closed. They evoke curiosity and anticipation, along with fear of the unknown. Marclay explores these themes in his latest work, 'Doors' (2022), making its London debut at White Cube Mason’s Yard.

This video collage, crafted from a decade's worth of cinematic footage, showcases door openings and closings from various films. Similar to Marclay's acclaimed works like Telephones (1995) and The Clock (2010), this montage mixes genres, styles, and soundscapes, creating a continuous flow with no fixed start or end. Actors seamlessly transition between different cinematic worlds through these doors, leading to a labyrinthine experience for viewers.

Complementing the video, Marclay presents a series of sculptures made from found doors, echoing the video's themes of transformation and deconstruction. These artworks explore the material presence of doors, further enhancing the narrative of the video. Throughout his career, doors have been a recurring motif in Marclay's art, symbolizing transformation and meaning. In this exhibition, he continues to play with this symbolism, crafting sculptures that transcend their utilitarian origins to become emblematic symbols of his artistic vision.

★★★

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