Christian Marclay

Full biography Christian Marclay

Christian Marclay is a Swiss American visual artist and composer , born on January 11, 1955, in San Rafael, California, USA. He has made a name for himself as a virtuoso turntablist and conceptual artist. He is known for his work in various media, including sculpture, video, installation, sound, and performance. Marclay began his artistic practice in the late 1970s as a performance artist and later started incorporating music into his work.

Marclay is best known for his groundbreaking work "The Clock," which premiered in 2010 and consists of a 24-hour montage of clips from films throughout history, edited to be displayed in real-time. The work has since been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and has won numerous awards. Marclay's work often touches on themes of time, sound, and the relationship between audio and visual art.

In addition to his visual art, Marclay is also a highly regarded composer who has worked with renowned musicians such as Sonic Youth, John Zorn, and Elliott Sharp. He frequently incorporates sampling, turntables, and other techniques associated with hip-hop and electronic music into his compositions.

Marclay's work has been featured in numerous museum exhibitions, including a 2010 festival at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He has also been the subject of several documentary films, including "The Sound of Noise" (2010) and "The Clock" (2010). In 2019, Marclay was awarded the Golden Lion for best artist at the Venice Biennale.

Overall, Christian Marclay is a highly influential composer and visual artist whose innovative work has had a significant impact on both the contemporary art and music scenes.