The Whitney Biennial takes place every other year and highlights the most innovative, forward thinking, and impressive artists and their exceptional works, all of which were created in the United States during the past two years. It is a study and a celebration of all that is relevant and/or just simply inspiring in the art world at this moment. The Biennial featured 50+ pieces that ranged from minimal to dense, sedate to chaotic, understandable to unbelievably puzzling. Every piece a delight.


I have been wanting (ok, dying) to see a Whitney Biennial for years. I've bought old copies of the exhibition catalogues on eBay, I've made NY friends go the Whitney and buy me the catalog and ship it to me; I've been obsessed. So, to finally be in NYC during the Biennial was a dream. And it delivered. From the sculpture to paintings to video installations, it all left me inspired in one way or another. That is what I love about art. From one moment to the next I never know how a piece will make me feel. Even a work I've seen many times over. 


The Whitney has another exhibition currently called Collecting Biennials presenting important pieces that were on exhibit at previous Biennials. This was terrific. It was a great opportunity to see some of the best works by 20th century artists such as Jasper Johns, Edward Hopper, Matthew Barney, Mark Rothko and two of my absolute favorites Robert Rauschenberg and Julian Schnabel. This exhibit was the icing on the cake to the  2010 Biennial.


If you ever have the chance to explore the Biennial, it is well worth your time. It is a terrific snapshot of the world in that moment. And it makes you feel as if you are truly witnessing something special which, let's be honest, you most certainly are.


A few of my favorites from the Biennial: 


Kate Gilmore: Standing Here (2010)
(video installation)
Stuck inside a column of sheetrock, the artist attempts to kick and punch her way out, whilst wearing a proper dress and heels. I thought it was a great juxtaposition of the struggle women endure to be tough yet ladylike. 


The Bruce High Quality Foundation: We Like America and America Likes Us (2010)
There is so much going on in this installation. "A video projected on the windshield surveys a contemporary culture defined by YouTube clips, Hollywood movies, and news media. The voice-over describes an ambivalent, yearning relationship with the United States, as if the country were a dysfunctional family member or abusive lover." 
The title references a historic 1972 performance piece by German artist Joseph Bueys, "I Like America and America Likes Me" in which Bueys was flown to America, driven into NYC in a Cadillac ambulance, and staged in a performance space for three days -- alone with a coyote. Ah, modern art. 

My first day back in LA. So far so good. I took a long walk through Santa Monica where I'm staying, and met up with my friend Larissa for lunch at Buddah's Belly. Then I headed to my old West Hollywood neighborhood for  dinner and drinks with another friend, Lauren. It was great spending time my friends who I miss so much these days. And its also nice to know where everything is and exactly where I am going! It has become my norm to always have a map or to look up where I'm going in before I leave my NYC apt. So, it certainly feels like being back home again. And I'm liking that.

3rd Street Promenade

Even if one aims for a slow, leisurely day in New York a full day will still be had. After a late, late night my cousin Amie (who is visiting from Texas) and I were a bit in the clouds on this lovely Friday. We started out at the High Line Park which runs along the West side from the Meatpacking District up to Chelsea. This is a newly created green space (it opened last June and I had the pleasure of walking through the week it opened) that was created on old elevated train tracks that had long been abandoned. This is reclaiming at its finest. A beautiful, peaceful park that can make you feel like you are on the outside of the city looking in.

Near the High Line is Chelsea Market which is housed in an old cookie factory and contains dozens of food shops, a bakery, wine store, a great market, Buon Italia for all things Italian, and several little restaurants among other things (like the Food Network studios). We sat down for lunch at Friedman's Lunch, one of my favorite spots for sweet potato fries. They make the best sweet potato fries. I dream of them. In addition they also have a great lunch menu: the vegetable sandwich with hummus is delightful and Amie had tilapia tacos which looked quite nice. But honestly, for me, its all about those sweet potato fries. Did I mention they are served with blue cheese aioli? Yes, they are.

   

Once we were sufficiently lunched and foodied out, we headed up to midtown to check out Rockefeller Center. All I can say about that is -- the tourists have arrived. Avoid Rockefeller Center until school starts again in the Fall. Maybe it was the previous late night or simply the crowds but by late afternoon we were ready for dinner and relaxation. So, we ran up to Zabar's and filled our baskets with cheese, bread, olives, salmon, chocolate and such and jumped in a cab back to my apartment for dinner and movies. It was just what we needed. 

In the past nine years of my life I have not been out of Los Angeles for more than two months at a time. Since moving to New York I have not been back in nearly six months. So I was somewhat apprehensive about coming back. Would I feel happy to be back? Or would I feel out of place? Would I miss my new home in NYC so much that I couldn't just relax and enjoy my time on the West Coast? Time will tell. I am sure a bit of all of those emotions will come into play at some point. But I'm going to sit back and enjoy, see friends, visit my favorite places and remember why I called this sprawling, crazy city "home" for so many years.