Past Exhibitions

Steve McQueen: Remember Me

The words "Remember Me" are sculpted in neon and lit against a white wall.

Created by UK-born filmmaker and visual artist Steve McQueen, Remember Me (2016) is a seldom-seen series of neon sculptures all bearing the same plea, each uniquely penned: “remember me.” 

Even though each component repeats the blunt but ambiguous two-word appeal (an order? a request?), the variation in how that emotional utterance is graphically registered accounts for the work’s powerfully lyrical dimension. Each is given in its own written form, in some cases quite legibly, some mixing upper and lower case letters, some almost indecipherable, some suggesting childhood, and still others suggesting boldness, fragility, desperation, or mania. The number and installation of separate neon elements varies according to how McQueen responds to the gallery space displaying them; at the Wex, they were densely clustered, as always with the power source and the cascade of cords prominently displayed.

More about our fall exhibitions

Presented amid the most contested presidential election in American history and massive social upheaval surrounding the entwined public health issues of systemic racism and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wexner Center’s fall exhibitions showcased work from a diverse group of artists examining the tenets of American democracy, representative structures, and modes of political discourse. Discover more about the other exhibitions on view and related programs below.

The words "Remember Me" are sculpted in neon and lit against a white wall.

Steve McQueen, Remember Me, 2016. Acrylic paint on neon borosilicate tubes. 35 7/16 in. wide. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York. Installation view at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

The words "Remember Me" are sculpted in neon and lit against a white wall.

Steve McQueen, Remember Me, 2016. Acrylic paint on neon borosilicate tubes. 35 7/16 in. wide. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York. Installation view at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

Related Material

Organized by the Wexner Center for the Arts and curated by Curator at Large Bill Horrigan.

MADE POSSIBLE BY
Greater Columbus Arts Council
American Electric Power Foundation
The Columbus Foundation
Ohio Arts Council
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Huntington Bank
Nationwide Foundation

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
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Kaufman Development
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Past Exhibitions

Steve McQueen: Remember Me