Josiah McElheny: Island Universe

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Josiah McElheny: Island Universe. Installed in the center of the Resnick Pavilion, Island Universe (2008) is a large-scale sculpture that embodies the concept of the multiverse, a key element in contemporary cosmological thinking. The concept of the multiverse was first proposed in ancient Greece, then in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and 18th-century astronomy. Josiah McElheny (b. 1966) has long been interested in how scientific inquiry is conditioned by and impacts philosophical, sociological, and political thought. He finds a clear connection to the historical shifts that call for the decentering of Western knowledge, and even human-centric thought. The artist worked collaboratively with astrophysicist David Weinberg in developing Island Universe, which he considers “drawings of time,” with “each rod a measure of time—every inch, time doubles.”

This installation is a companion installation to the PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures, on view from October 24, 2024-March 2, 2025 in the Resnick Pavilion.