{"id":14100,"date":"2017-04-07T08:39:34","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T06:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/?p=14100"},"modified":"2017-04-07T08:41:05","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T06:41:05","slug":"the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2017 Whitney Biennial collects critical acclaim, while some works draw flack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-14100 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/13_puppiespuppies_install_2017biennial\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/13_PuppiesPuppies_Install_2017Biennial-480x320.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14101\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14101'>\n\t\t\t\tInstallation view of Puppies Puppies, Liberty (Libert\u00e9), 2017. Whitney Biennial 2017, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 17-June 11, 2017. Photograph by Matthew Carasella.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/09_larrybell_install_2017biennial\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/09_LarryBell_Install_2017Biennial-480x321.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14102\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14102'>\n\t\t\t\tInstallation view of Larry Bell, Pacific Red II, 2017. Whitney Biennial 2017, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 17-June 11, 2017. Collection of the artist; courtesy Hauser Wirth &#038; Schimmel, Los Angeles.  Photograph by Matthew Carasella.\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/dana-schutz\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Dana-Schutz-480x345.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14103\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14103'>\n\t\t\t\tDana Schutz, Open Casket, 2016. Oil on canvas. Collection of the artist. Courtesy Petzel, New York.\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/11_henrytaylor_deanalawson_install_2017biennial\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/11_HenryTaylor_DeanaLawson_Install_2017Biennial-480x320.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14104\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14104'>\n\t\t\t\tInstallation view of Henry Taylor, The 4th, 2012-2017 and THE TIMES THAY AINT A CHANGING, FAST ENOUGH!, 2017. Collection of the artist; courtesy Blum &#038; Poe, Los Angeles\/New York\/Tokyo. Whitney Biennial 2017, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 17-June 11, 2017. Photograph by Matthew Carasella.\n\nInstallation view of Deana Lawson, Ring Bearer, 2016. Collection of the artist; courtesy Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, and Sikkema Jenkins &#038; Co., New York. Whitney Biennial 2017, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 17-June 11, 2017. Photograph by Matthew Carasella.\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/82-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/82-2-480x321.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14105\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14105'>\n\t\t\t\tInstallation Occupy Museums,  Debtfair, 2017  ( 2017 Whitney Biennial, March 17\u2014June 11, 2017).  Thirty artworks and interactive website.  Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.  Courtesy of the artists.\nPhotograph Bill Orcutt\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/12_postcommodity_01\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"84\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/12_Postcommodity_01-480x268.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14106\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14106'>\n\t\t\t\tPostcommodity, still from A Very Long Line, 2016. Four-channel digital video, color, sound; looped. Courtesy the artists\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/2017\/04\/07\/the-2017-whitney-biennial-collects-critical-accclaim-chile-come-works-draw-flack\/shara-hughes\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"133\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/CFA-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shara-Hughes-424x480.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-14107\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-14107'>\n\t\t\t\tShara Hughes, In The Clear, 2016. Oil, acrylic and dye on canvas, 68 x 60 in. (172.7 x 152.4 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Rachel Uffner, New York\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Returning after a three-year hiatus while it resettled in its new Renzo Piano-designed building at the base of the High Line, the <strong>2017 Whitney Biennial<\/strong> is getting rave reviews, but some pieces in the show are provoking heated debate.<\/p>\n<p>The first biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art that was organized in the run up to the presidential election in 20 years, the show was shaped by the nation\u2019s political climate.<\/p>\n<p>Organized by Whitney Museum associate curator Christopher Y. Lew and Mia Locks, an independent curator, the exhibition features 63 artists and collectives\u2014half of which are women and artists of color. Spread out over two full floors, the lobby galleries and rooftop spaces, the show offers work in a wide range of media\u2014from painting, sculpture and installations to photography, video, film, new media and performance.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times art critic Roberta Smith calls the 2017 Biennial \u201can adult affair: spatially, gracious to art and visitors alike, and exceptionally good looking, with an overall mood of easy accessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Four of our favorite artists in the show that fit that bill are painters Shara Hughes and Carrie Moyers and sculptors Larry Bell and John Riepenhoff. Hughes and Moyers both deal with abstraction, with Hughes thickly painted canvases drifting into the realm of landscape and Moyers flat, luminous surfaces leaning toward the corporal and psychological. And while Riepenhoff physically incorporates the body with his sculptures that combine his cast-and-clothed legs holding artworks by artists he admires, Bell contributes sublime, glass sculptures that are void of content yet reflective of everything around them.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, ARTnews editor Andrew Russeth finds the mood of the show \u201canxious and dark, even sinister, but also, at times, expectant, guardedly hopeful.\u201d One of the most anxiety-producing works in the show is Jordan Wolfson\u2019s violent virtual reality video of a person being beaten bloody in the street to the sound of Hebrew prayers, while two of the most sinister pieces are Henry Taylor\u2019s painting of a black man being fatally shot through the window of his car by a Minnesota police officer and Dana Schutz\u2019 painting of the disfigured body of Emmett Till, a black teenager who was lynched in Mississippi after being falsely accused of flirting with a white woman in 1955.<\/p>\n<p>Although Wolfson\u2019s shocking work is a fictional simulation using an animatronic doll and post-production enhancement, Taylor and Schutz\u2019 canvases are based on factual stories, which is what makes them all the more poignant, and in the case of the latter painting, highly controversial.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the show opened, a black American artist held a protest in front of Schutz\u2019 work wearing a T-shirt that read \u201cBlack Death Spectacle\u201d and then Hannah Black, a British-born black artist who lives in Berlin, sent an open letter to the Whitney objecting to the portrayal of Till in an open casket by Schutz because she is a white artist. Declaring that it was \u201cnot acceptable for a white person to transmute Black suffering into profit and fun,\u201d Black demanded that the painting be removed from the show and destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>A day later, in response to ARTnews editor Sarah Douglas\u2019 Facebook post about an article in ARTnews that reproduced Black\u2019s letter, New York gallerist Nicelle Beauchene brought attention to the fact that Schutz\u2019s painting \u201cwas first shown in Berlin at CFA, Hannah Black&#8217;s hometown, yet she only seems to take issue with it now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Punctuating that point while discussing the controversy in Affidavit Art, former Village Voice art critic Gary Indiana writes \u201cit seemed obvious to me, reading Black&#8217;s letter, that the author herself was \u2018pretending to care\u2019 about the emotional injury she claims Schutz\u2019s innocuous painting inflicts on a black viewer. In reality, Schutz\u2019s painting serves Black as an almost arbitrary pretext for a clich\u00e9-riddled, race-baiting demagoguery, calculated to ensure many seasons of earnestly pointless panel discussions, starring none other than Hannah Black.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Writing in The Art Newspaper, Pac Pobric perceptively states, \u201cMany of the works in this year\u2019s exhibition respond to the country\u2019s social tensions, but the pressing question about what art can do during a crisis remains unanswered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The art collectives exhibiting in the Biennial attempt to give a response. Postcommodity presents a four-channel video of a section of the fence that intersects the U.S.-Mexico border projected on four interior walls of a small room that shows the viewer that fences and walls contains us as much as they keep others out. Likewise, Occupy Museums, a group that grew out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, offers the collaborative installation Debtfair, which display works that can be purchased for the cost of the monthly loan payments of the artists contributing the works to the piece.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt feels more like the last Biennial of the Obama Era than the first of the Trump Era,\u201d Artnet News\u2019 Ben Davis remarks. Commenting on issues that easily could fit either era, Jon Kessler presents kinetic sculptures that mix digital technology with analog mechanics. His sculpture Exodus offers a motorized procession of kitsch figures representing different ethnicities being videotaped on an iPhone and broadcast on a screen, which is supported by a trunk, to symbolize the political merry-go-round that refugees can\u2019t seem to escape, while his other mechanized marvel riffs on the issues of global warming and climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Since most of the art in the Biennial was conceived prior to the presidential election, \u201cthe show already feels nostalgic,\u201d says New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl. At least one work, however, a performance piece by Puppies Puppies, seems to hit the nail on the Trump Era head. The group\u2019s work Libert\u00e9 (Liberty) presents a performer dressed as the Statue of Liberty on the eighth floor balcony, the highest point in the museum, where Liberty is left out in the cold, with a drooping crown, persevering to prevail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Returning after a three-year hiatus while it resettled in its new Renzo Piano-designed building at the base of the High Line, the 2017 Whitney Biennial is getting rave reviews, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1796],"tags":[2161],"class_list":["post-14100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mapping-the-artscape","tag-whitney-biennial-2017"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conceptualfinearts.com\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}