The Imagined And The Other: Internationalism And
Whitney Biennial: A Collective Dialogue

Tanya Abraham

The Whitney Biennial which began on the seventh of March in New York and closed on the twenty-fifth of May 2014 showcased artists of various genres. Interestingly, this took place cohesively, as the chosen three curators for the Biennial, Stuart Corner (Chief Curator of Media and Performance Art at MOMA), Anthony Elms (Associate curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia) and Michelle Grabner (artist and Professor in the Painting and Drawing Department at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago), put together their ideas to bring together this art display. What is further interesting is that each of the curators worked independently (there was little collaboration of ideas or the linking of one to the other) on a floor each at the Whitney Museum; it allows the viewers to create a dialogue with three different thinking practices and ideologies. Whether the Biennial was full and satisfying remained completely with the viewer, but it must be said that, bringing together three curators working independently of each other, did provide an interesting anecdote. The works ranged from installation, sculptures, ceramics, new media to paintings; this provided an interesting and curious mix of art works, which blend together to create a mélange of concepts luring to the eye. A particular theme could not be pinpointed at the Biennial, curators have worked within their own sphere and chosen artists accordingly. Speaking of the Biennial, Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs at the Whitney said, “The 2014 Biennial brings together the findings of three curators with very distinct point of view. There is little overlap in the artists they have selected and yet there is a common ground.

This can be seen in their choice of artists working in interdisciplinary ways, artists working collectively and artists from a variety of generations. Together, the hundred and three participants offer one of the broadest and most diverse take on art in the United States that the Whitney has offered in the many years.” Take for example, the works of John Mason; a Spanish born artist who lives in Los Angeles, he has worked with ceramics to create abstract sculptures, thus pushing the medium from everyday objects like crockery or tiles to sculptures and wall works which carry a sense of harmony and mathematical precision. This work is the result of sixty years of his tryst with ceramics, seen to have, at many junctures, pushed the limits the medium puts forth. Another work of interest is by Dona Nelson (Dyed fabric and acrylic on canvas (2008)) ,Acrylic and painted string on canvas (2013)), who experimented with texture and bold color. In her twosided paintings, she stitched these with dyed thread, allowing the paint to seep through the raw canvas thus creating a strong impact of texture and structure. Laborious and keenly executed, she pours and drips the paint on the stitches to bring forth a natural creation of colors and form on the surface of the canvas. Terry Adkins, an interdisciplinary artist and musician, presented his work in musical format. Died earlier this year, the artist exhibited sculptures, photography and videos for example, as musical instruments (or other salvaged materials), providing a ‘recital’ tone to them. He acts as a composer-artist and his works are a depiction of his musical rendering.