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.