Whitney Biennial 2019
17 May - 22 Sep 2019
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). From left to right: Alexandra Bell, Friday, April 21, 1989 – Front Page, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Friday, April 21, 1989 – Page 2, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Friday, April 21, 1989 – Page 3, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Saturday, April 22, 1989 – Front Page, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Saturday, April 22, 1989 – Page 3, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Saturday, April 22, 1989 – Page 11, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Front Page, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Page 2, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Page 3, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Page 35, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Page 4, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Sunday, April 23, 1989 – Page 5, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Monday, April 24, 1989 – Front Page, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Monday, April 24, 1989 – Page 3, 2019; Alexandra Bell, Tuesday, April 25, 1989 – Page 5, 2019; Jeffrey Gibson, PEOPLE LIKE US, 2019; Elle Pérez, Bloom, 2019; Elle Pérez, Sable, 2019; Elle Pérez, Jane, 2019; Jeffrey Gibson, STAND YOUR GROUND, 2019. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). From left to right: Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 31 (trying to remember a voice), 2019; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 9, 2017-18; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 29 (Career Day), 2019; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 30, 2019; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 22, 2018; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 4, 2016; Kyle Thurman, Suggested Occupation 3, 2016. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). From left to right: Iman Issa, Heritage Studies #27, 2017; Milano Chow, Night Exterior III, 2019; Milano Chow, Night Exterior II, 2019; Iman Issa, Heritage Studies #34, 2019; Milano Chow, Night Exterior I, 2019; Iman Issa, Heritage Studies #20, 2016; Pat Phillips, Untitled (Don’t Tread On Me), 2019. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). From left to right: Dicko Chan, Untitled, 2018; Emerson Ricard, Untitled, 2018; Simone Leigh, Stick, 2019; Janiva Ellis, Uh Oh, Look Who Got Wet, 2019; Simone Leigh, #8 Village Series, 2019. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). Carolyn Lazard, Extended Stay, 2019. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). Daniel Lind-Ramos, Maria-Maria, 2019. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Nicole Eisenman (1965-), The General, 2018. Bronze, stainless steel, paint, and cloth, 30 x 33 x 19 in. (76.2 x 83.8 x 48.3 cm). Collection of Eric Green. Image courtesy the artist and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects
Installation view of the Whitney Biennial 2019 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, May 17-September 22, 2019). Nicole Eisenman, Procession, 2019. Courtesy of the artist, Vielmetter Los Angeles, and Anton Kern Gallery, New York. Photograph by Object Studies
Brendan Fernandes, The Master and Form, 2018. Performance view, Graham Foundation, Chicago, IL, 2018. Image courtesy the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago. Photograph by Brendan Leo Merea
Barbara Hammer, History Lessons, 2000. 16mm film, color, sound, 66:51 min. Image courtesy the artist
Whitney Biennial 2019
Curated by Jane Panetta and Rujeko Hockley
Curatorial Statement
Often described as a snapshot of art in the United States, the Biennial brings together work by individuals and collectives in a broad array of mediums. Over the past year and a half—an undeniably intense and polarized time in this country—we made hundreds of studio visits. While we often encountered heightened emotions, they were directed toward thoughtful and productive experimentation, the re-envisioning of self and society, and political and aesthetic strategies for survival. Although much of the work presented here is steeped in sociopolitical concerns, the cumulative effect is open-ended and hopeful.
Key issues and approaches emerge across the exhibition: the mining of history as a means to reimagine the present or future; a profound consideration of race, gender, and equity; and explorations of the vulnerability of the body. Concerns for community appear in the content and social engagement of the work and also in the ways that the artists navigate the world. Many of the artists included emphasize the physicality of their materials, whether in sculptures assembled out of found objects, heavily worked paintings, or painstakingly detailed drawings. An emphasis on the artist’s hand suggests a rejection of the digital and the related slick, packaged presentation of the self in favor of more individualized and idiosyncratic work.
While we were organizing this exhibition, broader debates in the public sphere surfaced at the Museum, which itself became the site and subject of protest, as it has been throughout its history. Fundamental to the Whitney’s identity is its openness to dialogue, and the conversations that have occurred here and across the country became a productive lens through which to synthesize our own looking, thinking, and self-questioning.
The 2019 Whitney Biennial is organized by Jane Panetta and Rujeko Hockley, with Ramsay Kolber.
The film program is organized by Maori Karmael Holmes, Sky Hopinka, and Matt Wolf.
The performance program is organized by Jane Panetta, Rujeko Hockley, and Greta Hartenstein.
Artists
Korakrit Arunanondchai
Born 1986 in Bangkok, Thailand
Lives in New York, NY, and Bangkok, Thailand
Olga Balema
Born 1984 in Lviv, Ukraine
Lives in New York, NY
Morgan Bassichis
Born 1983 in Newton, MA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Blitz Bazawule
Born 1982 in Accra, Ghana
Lives in New York, NY
Alexandra Bell
Born 1983 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Brian Belott
Born 1973 in East Orange, NJ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Meriem Bennani
Born 1988 in Rabat, Morocco
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Robert Bittenbender
Born 1987 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Lucas Blalock
Born 1978 in Asheville, NC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Garrett Bradley
Born 1986 in New York, NY
Lives in New Orleans, LA
Milano Chow
Born 1987 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Colectivo Los Ingrávidos
Founded 2011 in Tehuacán, Mexico
Thirza Cuthand
Born 1978 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Lives in Toronto, Ontario
John Edmonds
Born 1989 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Nicole Eisenman
Born 1965 in Verdun, France
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Janiva Ellis
Born 1987 in Oakland, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Los Angeles, CA
Kota Ezawa
Born 1969 in Cologne, West Germany
Lives in Oakland, CA
Brendan Fernandes
Born 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Chicago, IL
FIERCE and Paper Tiger Television
FIERCE: Founded 2000 in New York, NY
Paper Tiger Television: Founded 1981 in New York, NY
Marcus Fischer
Born 1977 in Torrance, CA
Lives in Portland, OR
Forensic Architecture
Founded 2010 in London, United Kingdom
Ellie Ga
Born 1976 in New York, NY
Lives in Stockholm, Sweden
Nicholas Galanin
Born 1979 in Sitka, AK
Lives in Sitka, AK
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Born 1986 in San Juan, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR
Jeffrey Gibson
Born 1972 in Colorado Springs, CO
Lives in Germantown, NY
Todd Gray
Born 1954 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA, and Akwidaa, Ghana
Sam Green
Born 1966 in Detroit, MI
Lives in New York, NY
Barbara Hammer
Born 1939 in Los Angeles, CA
Died 2019
Ilana Harris-Babou
Born 1991 in Brooklyn, NY
Lives in Williamstown, MA, and Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Angelo Harrison
Born 1989 in Detroit, MI
Lives in Detroit, MI
Curran Hatleberg
Born 1982 in Washington, DC
Lives in Baltimore, MD
Madeline Hollander
Born 1986 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in New York, NY
Iman Issa
Born 1979 in Cairo, Egypt
Lives in Berlin, Germany, and New York, NY
Tomashi Jackson
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY, and Cambridge, MA
Steffani Jemison
Born 1981 in Berkeley, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, and Jackson Polys
Adam Khalil: Born 1988 in Nyack, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Zack Khalil: Born 1991 in Newton, MA Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Jackson Polys: Born 1976 in Ketchikan, AK
Lives in New York, NY
Christine Sun Kim
Born 1980 in Orange County, CA
Lives in Berlin, Germany
Josh Kline
Born 1979 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Autumn Knight
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY
Carolyn Lazard
Born 1987 in Upland, CA
Lives in Philadelphia, PA
Maia Ruth Lee
Born 1983 in Busan, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY
Simone Leigh
Born 1967 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Lind-Ramos
Born 1953 in Loíza, PR
Lives in Loíza, PR
James Luna
Born 1950 in Orange, CA
Died 2018
Eric N. Mack
Born 1987 in Columbia, MD
Lives in New York, NY
Calvin Marcus
Born 1988 in San Francisco, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Tiona Nekkia McClodden
Born 1981 in Blytheville, AR
Lives in Philadelphia, PA
Troy Michie
Born 1985 in El Paso, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Joe Minter
Born 1943 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in Birmingham, AL
Keegan Monaghan
Born 1986 in Evanston, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Caroline Monnet
Born 1985 in Ottawa, Ontario
Lives in Montreal, Quebec
Darius Clark Monroe
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Ragen Moss
Born 1978 in New York, NY
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Sahra Motalebi
Born 1979 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in New York, NY, and Delaware County, NY
Marlon Mullen
Born 1963 in Richmond, CA
Lives in Rodeo, CA
Jeanette Mundt
Born 1982 in Princeton, NJ
Lives in Somerset, NJ
Wangechi Mutu
Born 1972 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Nairobi, Kenya
Las Nietas de Nonó
Lydela Nonó: Born 1979 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR
Michel Nonó: Born 1982 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR
Jenn Nkiru
Born 1987 in London, United Kingdom
Lives in London, United Kingdom
Laura Ortman
Born 1973 in Whiteriver, AZ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer Packer
Born 1984 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in New York, NY
nibia pastrana santiago
Born 1987 in Caguas, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR
Elle Pérez
Born 1989 in the Bronx, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Pat Phillips
Born 1987 in Lakenheath, United Kingdom
Lives in Pineville, LA
Gala Porras-Kim
Born 1984 in Bogotá, Colombia
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Walter Price
Born 1989 in Macon, GA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Carissa Rodriguez
Born 1970 in New York, NY
Lives in New York, NY
Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Born 1982 in San Bernardino, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Heji Shin
Born 1983 in Seoul, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY
Diane Simpson
Born 1935 in Joliet, IL
Lives in Wilmette, IL
Martine Syms
Born 1988 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Kyle Thurman
Born 1986 in West Chester, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Mariana Valencia
Born 1984 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Agustina Woodgate
Born 1981 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lives in Miami, FL, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Curated by Jane Panetta and Rujeko Hockley
Curatorial Statement
Often described as a snapshot of art in the United States, the Biennial brings together work by individuals and collectives in a broad array of mediums. Over the past year and a half—an undeniably intense and polarized time in this country—we made hundreds of studio visits. While we often encountered heightened emotions, they were directed toward thoughtful and productive experimentation, the re-envisioning of self and society, and political and aesthetic strategies for survival. Although much of the work presented here is steeped in sociopolitical concerns, the cumulative effect is open-ended and hopeful.
Key issues and approaches emerge across the exhibition: the mining of history as a means to reimagine the present or future; a profound consideration of race, gender, and equity; and explorations of the vulnerability of the body. Concerns for community appear in the content and social engagement of the work and also in the ways that the artists navigate the world. Many of the artists included emphasize the physicality of their materials, whether in sculptures assembled out of found objects, heavily worked paintings, or painstakingly detailed drawings. An emphasis on the artist’s hand suggests a rejection of the digital and the related slick, packaged presentation of the self in favor of more individualized and idiosyncratic work.
While we were organizing this exhibition, broader debates in the public sphere surfaced at the Museum, which itself became the site and subject of protest, as it has been throughout its history. Fundamental to the Whitney’s identity is its openness to dialogue, and the conversations that have occurred here and across the country became a productive lens through which to synthesize our own looking, thinking, and self-questioning.
The 2019 Whitney Biennial is organized by Jane Panetta and Rujeko Hockley, with Ramsay Kolber.
The film program is organized by Maori Karmael Holmes, Sky Hopinka, and Matt Wolf.
The performance program is organized by Jane Panetta, Rujeko Hockley, and Greta Hartenstein.
Artists
Korakrit Arunanondchai
Born 1986 in Bangkok, Thailand
Lives in New York, NY, and Bangkok, Thailand
Olga Balema
Born 1984 in Lviv, Ukraine
Lives in New York, NY
Morgan Bassichis
Born 1983 in Newton, MA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Blitz Bazawule
Born 1982 in Accra, Ghana
Lives in New York, NY
Alexandra Bell
Born 1983 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Brian Belott
Born 1973 in East Orange, NJ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Meriem Bennani
Born 1988 in Rabat, Morocco
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Robert Bittenbender
Born 1987 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Lucas Blalock
Born 1978 in Asheville, NC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Garrett Bradley
Born 1986 in New York, NY
Lives in New Orleans, LA
Milano Chow
Born 1987 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Colectivo Los Ingrávidos
Founded 2011 in Tehuacán, Mexico
Thirza Cuthand
Born 1978 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Lives in Toronto, Ontario
John Edmonds
Born 1989 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Nicole Eisenman
Born 1965 in Verdun, France
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Janiva Ellis
Born 1987 in Oakland, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Los Angeles, CA
Kota Ezawa
Born 1969 in Cologne, West Germany
Lives in Oakland, CA
Brendan Fernandes
Born 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Chicago, IL
FIERCE and Paper Tiger Television
FIERCE: Founded 2000 in New York, NY
Paper Tiger Television: Founded 1981 in New York, NY
Marcus Fischer
Born 1977 in Torrance, CA
Lives in Portland, OR
Forensic Architecture
Founded 2010 in London, United Kingdom
Ellie Ga
Born 1976 in New York, NY
Lives in Stockholm, Sweden
Nicholas Galanin
Born 1979 in Sitka, AK
Lives in Sitka, AK
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Born 1986 in San Juan, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR
Jeffrey Gibson
Born 1972 in Colorado Springs, CO
Lives in Germantown, NY
Todd Gray
Born 1954 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA, and Akwidaa, Ghana
Sam Green
Born 1966 in Detroit, MI
Lives in New York, NY
Barbara Hammer
Born 1939 in Los Angeles, CA
Died 2019
Ilana Harris-Babou
Born 1991 in Brooklyn, NY
Lives in Williamstown, MA, and Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Angelo Harrison
Born 1989 in Detroit, MI
Lives in Detroit, MI
Curran Hatleberg
Born 1982 in Washington, DC
Lives in Baltimore, MD
Madeline Hollander
Born 1986 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in New York, NY
Iman Issa
Born 1979 in Cairo, Egypt
Lives in Berlin, Germany, and New York, NY
Tomashi Jackson
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY, and Cambridge, MA
Steffani Jemison
Born 1981 in Berkeley, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, and Jackson Polys
Adam Khalil: Born 1988 in Nyack, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Zack Khalil: Born 1991 in Newton, MA Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Jackson Polys: Born 1976 in Ketchikan, AK
Lives in New York, NY
Christine Sun Kim
Born 1980 in Orange County, CA
Lives in Berlin, Germany
Josh Kline
Born 1979 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Autumn Knight
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY
Carolyn Lazard
Born 1987 in Upland, CA
Lives in Philadelphia, PA
Maia Ruth Lee
Born 1983 in Busan, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY
Simone Leigh
Born 1967 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Lind-Ramos
Born 1953 in Loíza, PR
Lives in Loíza, PR
James Luna
Born 1950 in Orange, CA
Died 2018
Eric N. Mack
Born 1987 in Columbia, MD
Lives in New York, NY
Calvin Marcus
Born 1988 in San Francisco, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Tiona Nekkia McClodden
Born 1981 in Blytheville, AR
Lives in Philadelphia, PA
Troy Michie
Born 1985 in El Paso, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Joe Minter
Born 1943 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in Birmingham, AL
Keegan Monaghan
Born 1986 in Evanston, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Caroline Monnet
Born 1985 in Ottawa, Ontario
Lives in Montreal, Quebec
Darius Clark Monroe
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Ragen Moss
Born 1978 in New York, NY
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Sahra Motalebi
Born 1979 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in New York, NY, and Delaware County, NY
Marlon Mullen
Born 1963 in Richmond, CA
Lives in Rodeo, CA
Jeanette Mundt
Born 1982 in Princeton, NJ
Lives in Somerset, NJ
Wangechi Mutu
Born 1972 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Nairobi, Kenya
Las Nietas de Nonó
Lydela Nonó: Born 1979 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR
Michel Nonó: Born 1982 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR
Jenn Nkiru
Born 1987 in London, United Kingdom
Lives in London, United Kingdom
Laura Ortman
Born 1973 in Whiteriver, AZ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer Packer
Born 1984 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in New York, NY
nibia pastrana santiago
Born 1987 in Caguas, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR
Elle Pérez
Born 1989 in the Bronx, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Pat Phillips
Born 1987 in Lakenheath, United Kingdom
Lives in Pineville, LA
Gala Porras-Kim
Born 1984 in Bogotá, Colombia
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Walter Price
Born 1989 in Macon, GA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Carissa Rodriguez
Born 1970 in New York, NY
Lives in New York, NY
Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Born 1982 in San Bernardino, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Heji Shin
Born 1983 in Seoul, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY
Diane Simpson
Born 1935 in Joliet, IL
Lives in Wilmette, IL
Martine Syms
Born 1988 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Kyle Thurman
Born 1986 in West Chester, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Mariana Valencia
Born 1984 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Agustina Woodgate
Born 1981 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lives in Miami, FL, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands