Allan Sekula’s Lottery of the Sea offers a portrait of maritime life in moving images. Filmed and narrated by the artist while traveling at sea and to ports including Panama City, Barcelona, Athens, and New York City, among others, the work compliments Fish Story’s meditations on maritime landscapes, mythologies of the sea, and globalization. It also addresses environmental disasters at sea with extended footage of the 2002 MV Prestige oil spill and subsequent clean up. Sekula described this meditative video montage as “a meandering, essayistic voyage from seaport to seaport, waterfront to waterfront, coast to coast.”
The screening is introduced by Alexander Alberro, Virginia Bloedel Wright '51 Professor of Art History, Barnard College, Columbia University.
The Lottery of the Sea, 2006
179 minutes, color, sound. English, Spanish, Gallego with English subtitles.
Camera, Writing, Voice: Allan Sekula
Editing: Elizabeth Hesik.
To register for the screening please click here.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Allan Sekula: Fish Story, on view at the Wallach Art Gallery October 2 through December 20, 2026.
