Product Description

"Not restricted by a single theme, the 2002 Biennial will expose multiple, sometimes conflicting currents, as well as extraordinary works that fall outside of any conventional aesthetic definition." —Lawrence R. Rinder

The "2002 Biennial Exhibition" is the 71st in the Whitney Museum's signature series highlighting the most significant developments in American art over the past few years. Throughout its history of support for the development of 20th- and 21st-century American art, the Whitney Museum has fostered contemporary artistic innovation and diversity through its acclaimed and often controversial Biennial. Countless prominent artists have made their museum debut at these diverse surveys of painting, sculpture, works on paper, film and video, performance, and installation. The current exhibition includes works by more than 100 artists in traditional Biennial mediums, as well as new inclusions such as web-related, digital, and sound art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #480851 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 292 pages

From Library Journal
Whitney biennial exhibitions are often boisterous, unruly arrangements of sound, color, and light. The 2002 biennial is no exception, encompassing over 100 artists working in film, video, computer projects, music, sound-based art, photography, painting, and sculpture. The catalog design two pages devoted to each artist, with images printed on bright, glossy stock and text on contrasting, darker paper does a fine job of managing the excitement, presenting the works in a consistent format and thus lending cohesion to a subject that might overwhelm readers. This is a catalog in the truest sense of the word, a systematic listing, in alphabetical order, of the contents of the show that will serve best as a checklist for students and scholars interested in studying this biennial long after the sound and color have faded. The brief descriptions of each of the artists' works are fine thumbnail sketches, but those interested in learning more about these artists many of them quite young will need to look elsewhere. Abbreviated biographies on each artist are included, as is an audio CD with music and sound pieces. For collections serving art students, scholars, and curators. Michael Dashkin, PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York City
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Biennial with an identity problem...
Walking away from the 2002 Whitney Biennial, I had mixed feelings of the state of contemporary art. The Whitney has resigned to classifying it in a catch-all "pluralism" in which there simply is so many voices out there under so many disciplines and influences that it cannot be herded into an umbrella term. Fair enough, but the show is probably an ideal example of how problematic such resignation can be.

The cross-over of disciplines fairly common among artists made for an interesting mix of pieces ranging from collective installations to delicate sculptural pieces to a mix of mainly urban "house-like" soundworks. Indeed the transition from Tracie Morris' stuttering and beautiful soundworks to Chris Ware's highly-detailed agnst-ridden comic panels to Destroy All Monsters' urban, almost adolescent painted tributes to Detroit was a fairly smooth one.

The mood of the exhibition, though often felt artifical and sometimes contrived. In an age of an overabundance of market imagery, pondering over the various aspects of mosh-pits and extreme sports had the impact of a cola commercial. Artists as spiritual conduits; spiritual leaders as artists; channeling the spirits of dead artists. This all seems interesting but were they in the appropriate forum? Which leads to the questions has the Biennial outlived its usefulness as a forum? Has contemporary art outgrown museums as a result of market/academic/visual oversaturation?