To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89

Futura2000 creating Untitled (1984) for the exhibition Writing on the Wall: Works in Progress by New York City Graffiti Artists at Hoyt L. Sherman Gallery, February 1–16, 1984. Image courtesy of The Ohio State University Archives.

Image description: A black-and-white photograph of artist Futura2000 painting on a long canvas panel that has been taped to the wall in a large museum gallery. In the center of the gallery, a videographer aims his camera at the artist. In the back of the gallery, a large crowd of visitors observe the scene from behind a floor-to-ceiling plastic barrier.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, a very long painting has been tacked to a white wall. The painting features brightly colored spray-painted marks, including the tag "Futura." Several sculptural works are placed in the far distance.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, two artworks are hung on a diagonal wall in the background. At left, two rows of brown paper are nailed to a large square backing board; to the right of this work hangs a small black-and-white photographic portrait. Placed on the floor in the foreground is a sculpture that is based on a geometrical diagram of a cube, albeit one with several sections removed. The sculpture is composed of white cubic bars joined together seamlessly, through which visitors are able to view the artworks hung on the wall in the background.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, four works on paper are hung along a diagonal wall. At left is a small black-and-white photograph; near the center is a very large pencil drawing of a man's head. The man is wearing headphones and a plaid shirt; his expression is blank but inquisitive, as if he were inspecting his own image in a mirror. The drawing is affixed to the wall with a dowel along its top edge, and the bottom edge curls where it touches the floor. To the right are two drawings, both set within black frames, that feature circular forms and illegible writing. In the foreground is a vitrine containing small works on paper.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, three paintings are hung along a long diagonal wall, interrupted by two white columns. In the space to the right of the columns hangs a large, irregularly shaped abstract painting composed in a palette of purple, red, blue, yellow, and black. The top part of the canvas is shaped like a giant loop, and the bottom part is a triangle that pushes up through the loop, with a rectangular cutout at bottom. To the left of the columns hangs another large abstract painting shaped like a diamond, its color palette dominated by a large pink cloud that rises from bottom to top. Placed on the floor against a low wall at left is a white inflatable vinyl sculpture, which sprawls along the length of the gallery.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, a sculpture resembling a ladder-back chair with an unusually long back sits propped against a white column, its legs resting on a pair of semicircular metal skis. The ladder slats are painted red, white, and blue, and suspended from the uppermost part of the chair back, a camouflage American flag hangs down to the floor. In the background, various other artworks are hung on the walls and placed on pedestals.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, three artworks are hung on a long wall: from left to right, a large painting, a video monitor on a pedestal, and a long rectangular drawing. The painting at left is too distant to make out any distinguishing details. The rectangular drawing features human figures in red, set against a blank background. On a pedestal in the foreground sits a sculpture that depicts an imaginary civic center building surrounded by green palm trees.

Installation view of Ann Fessler, Rape: A Crime Report, 1984/2021. Eleven cotton organdy panels with cyanotype printed text, one blank text panel, and projected text. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: Multiple white fabric panels are suspended from the ceiling of a museum gallery. Printed on the panels are brief statements, including "She would never enter the room again" and "She burned the sheets."

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, two artworks have been placed at the left and center, with a doorway between them and a wall of gridded windows at right. On the wall at left hangs a multicolored relief sculpture, with curved shapes protruding from its surface. At the far end of the gallery sits another artwork, a round booth with an entryway on its left side large enough for a visitor to enter. Both the outer and inner surface of this immersive sculpture are painted matte black.

Installation view of To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Photo: Stephen Takacs.

Image description: In a museum gallery, two sculptures are placed on the floor: At left is a cylindrical sculpture made of rolled wood lath, roughly four feet tall; at right is a long sculpture made of a brown corrugated material, which leans against the wall and extends into the center of the gallery. Between them is a doorway, through which a light-filled exterior space is visible. Hung on a wall to the right of the cylindrical sculpture is a framed artwork that depicts a woman screaming.

Ann Fessler's Rape: A Crime Report (1984), installation view in the exhibition RAPE at University Gallery of Fine Art, November 13–December 13, 1985. Image courtesy of The Ohio State University Archives.

Image description: A black-and-white photograph of three white fabric panels with black text on each hanging in an empty museum gallery. The left panel reads: "He said it was her fault for not locking the door." The middle panel reads: "She was more afraid for her children in the next room." The right panel reads: "He also knew what it was to be vulnerable."

Elizabeth Murray speaking to students on the occasion of the exhibition Elizabeth Murray Paintings, University Gallery of Fine Art, January 17–31, 1978. © Estate of Elizabeth Murray/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy of The Ohio State University Archives.

Image description: A black-and-white photograph of artist Elizabeth Murray standing and speaking to a seated group of people with a painting hung on the wall between the artist and the audience.