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New York’s Whitney Museum has revealed the 69 artists and 2 collectives that will participate in this year’s edition of its famed Whitney Biennial, due to open on March 20.
The Whitney Biennial has historically been formatted as a survey of the American art scene as it stands currently, though it is closely watched internationally for bringing attention to young, up-and-coming artists. In recent editions, the show has also been prized for providing an overdue spotlight to under-recognized mid- and late-career artists.
This year’s edition is curated by Chrissie Iles and Meg Onli, the former returning for her third Whitney Biennial, after ones organized in 2004 and 2006. Iles and Onli’s Whitney Biennial—the biennial’s 81st edition—is titled “Even Better Than the Real Thing.”
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Per the biennial’s description, the show will be focus on “ideas of ‘the real’ to acknowledge that, today, society is at an inflection point, in part brought on by artificial intelligence challenging what we consider to be real, as well as critical discussions about identity. Many of the artists presenting works explore the fluidity of identity and form, historical and current land stewardship, and concepts of embodiment, among other urgent throughlines.”
Their biennial has been touted as one of the most sprawling editions staged to date, with an array of artists brought on to help organize the film and performance programs.
Collaborating on the film program are artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, an alum of the 2019 Whitney Biennial; photographer, writer, curator, and filmmaker asinnajaq; Greg de Cuir Jr, cofounder and artistic director of Kinopravda Institute in Belgrade, Serbia; and filmmaker Zackary Drucker, whose documentary The Stroll was released last year.
Taja Cheek, a musician who also works under the moniker L’Rain, has been enlisted to aid in creating the performance program.
The film program has historically taken place in the form screenings held at the Whitney Museum. This year, for the first time, the films are set to be screened online as well.
As compared to the 2022 Whitney Biennial, which featured a number of mid- and late-career artists, this edition trends younger, with many artists born in the past 40 years. Though there are some who have achieved late-career recognition—the painters Suzanne Jackson, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, and Harmony Hammond, for example, as well as the conceptual artist Pippa Garner—most participants are early in their careers.
Some artists in the show are favorites on the biennial circuit, like Raqs Media Collective, participating here in the film program, and Isaac Julien, who had a celebrated video installation in last year’s Sharjah Biennial. And there are several artists who appeared in last year’s Venice Biennale, among them Carolyn Lazard, Dora Budor, P. Staff, and Tourmaline. (Lazard is now on their second Whitney Biennial in five years, having also appeared in the 2019 edition.)
This biennial appears to reflect the shifting demographics of what’s contained within museum walls these days. Just 13 of the artists use he/him pronouns, while 15 use they/them pronouns. And a majority of the artists included are not white. (There are notably fewer Latinx participants than in past years, however, and unlike any other edition held in the past decade, there are no artists from Puerto Rico.)
The artist list follows below.
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Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio (he/him) Born 1990 in Los Angeles, CA Lives in Los Angeles, CA Dora Budor (she/her) Seba Calfuqueo (she/her/they/them) Demian DinéYazhi’ (they/them) Torkwase Dyson (she/her) JJJJJerome Ellis (any/all) Jes Fan (he/him/they/them) Nikita Gale ektor garcia Pippa Garner (she/her) Harmony Hammond (she/her) Sharon Hayes (she/her) Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (she/her) Suzanne Jackson (she/her) Isaac Julien Lotus L. Kang (she/her) Mary Kelly (she/her) Carolyn Lazard (they/them) Dionne Lee (she/her/they/them) Ligia Lewis (she/her) Mary Lovelace O’Neal (she/her) Cannupa Hanska Luger (he/him) K.R.M. Mooney (he/him) Dala Nasser Diane Severin Nguyen (she/her) Karyn Olivier (she/her) B. Ingrid Olson Eamon Ore-Giron (he/him) People Who Stutter Create Julia Phillips (she/her) Mavis Pusey (she/her) Maja Ruznic (she/her) Ser Serpas (she/her) Rose B. Simpson (she/her) P. Staff (they/them) Clarissa Tossin (she/her) Tourmaline (she/her) Charisse Pearlina Weston (she/her) Kiyan Williams (they/them) Carmen Winant (she/her) Takako Yamaguchi (she/her) Constantina Zavitsanos (any/all) |
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Film Program Artists:
Siku Allooloo (she/her) Seba Calfuqueo (she/her/they/them) Christopher Harris (he/him) Miranda Haymon Ho Tzu Nyen (he/him) Yasmine Anlan Huang (she/her) Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (she/her) Aron Kantor (he/him/they/them) Kite (she/her) Gbenga Komolafe and Tee Park Jenni Laiti (she/her) Shuang Li (she/her) Simon Liu (he/him) Nyala Moon (she/her) Niillasaš-Jovnna Máreha Juhani Sunná Máret – Sunna Nousuniemi (they/them) Edward Owens (he/him) Sydney Frances Pascal (she/her) Raqs Media Collective Riar Rizaldi (he/him) Penelope Spheeris (she/her) Lada Suomenrinne (they/them) Alisi Telengut (she/her) Chanelle Tyson (they/them) Zulaa Urchuud (she/her) |
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Performance Program Artists:
Holland Andrews (they/them) Debit (she/her) JJJJJerome Ellis (any/all) Sarah Hennies (she/her) Alex Tatarsky (they/them) |
