The Whitney Biennial

Art. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. Art comes in various forms, each with its own language, but all with the same underlying purpose, to put forth a message. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, who used elaborate hieroglyphics to transcribe information, art has been used to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced. This amplification of voices not only brings important issues to the surface, but also raises controversy and sparks intense arguments, which is evident in the conversation of the 2017 Whitney Biennial. The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art featuring artists and curators who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries and present controversial pieces in a public event. The purpose of the biennial ties into the most basic form of art, the expression of one’s emotions as an
Ben Davis is just one of the many who have expressed their reflections on the show. In his review of the biennial in artnet News, Davis describes the show as having “wacky moments...pretty moments...tranquil moments...and tender moments,” as well as “moments that will reward deeper looking and deeper thought.” Through these moments, he asserts that the show has “enough cool paintings to satisfy that crowd, but also enough new media and other novelties to satisfy that other crowd.” What is “that crowd?” If this claim is synonymous with the purpose of the biennial, could he be suggesting the increasing tension between the Republicans and the Democrats? This must be true as Davis also expresses how the show affected him politically, when he wrote how “the actual atmosphere of the 2017 Whitney Biennial makes me remember what a Red Wedding the election really was.” The use of this metaphor of a “Red Wedding” implies how deeply the Biennial is connected to the recent tempest in American