{"id":5185,"date":"2014-04-20T17:11:35","date_gmt":"2014-04-21T00:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/wanderlusty\/?p=5185"},"modified":"2014-04-20T17:11:35","modified_gmt":"2014-04-21T00:11:35","slug":"instawalk-whitney-biennial-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/wanderlusty\/2014\/04\/instawalk-whitney-biennial-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Instawalk: Whitney Biennial 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

in 2012, when i went to my first Whitney Biennial<\/a>, i didn’t think i’d ever get to go again, so when this NYC trip coincided with the 2014 one<\/a>, i couldn’t pass it up. when it comes to modern art, i tend toward large-scale pieces and this year was a bit disappointing in terms of quality IMHO compared to 2012 in that respect, but i still had a great time. some highlights:<\/p>\n

\"Valerie<\/a>

Valerie Snobeck and Catherine Sullivan, “Images of Limited Good”. According to the description<\/a>, the inspiration for this work can be traced back to airplane food service menus.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Terry<\/a>

Terry Adkins “Avarium” (various Avaria?)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Going<\/a>

Watched a live performance of a Spanish translation of Robert Ashley’s apparently groundbreaking television opera “Perfect Lives” — more about this below.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bjarne<\/a>

Bjarne Melgaard (Untitled) — This room was sensory overload in a great way and everything I love about modern art. Kinda wacky, clear social message, and accessible (doesn’t require any WTFing, other than WTFing at some of the imagery).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Robert<\/a>

Robert Kinmont “The Wings Are In The Paper Drawer”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Zoe<\/a>

Zoe Leonard “945 Madison Avenue, 2014” — a lens was installed in the wall, creating a camera obscura. SO AMAZING. A dark room with an upside-down dreamlike view of the outside projected on the walls and ceiling.<\/p><\/div>\n

the free (but limited seating, definitely prebook) performance pieces of the Biennial are definitely worth going to, as i found out last time when i watched a pretty amazing modern dance performance (except for that questionable horse head mask). this year, the event happening on the day i visited was a Spanish-language performance of a seminal piece of American art, Robert Ashley’s early ’80s “television opera” Perfect Lives<\/em><\/a>. because it was written for television(!!?), the work is broken down into episodes (acts); the final four were being performed today, and i saw the first two of those. calling it an opera seems to me to be a misnomer, though. it had more similarities with the speak-sing style of Fred Schneider of The B-52s than say, Wagner or Mozart.<\/p>\n

yes, it was in Spanish, and no, my understanding is rudimentary (i have a feeling that applied to most of the intimate audience), but it was still amazing to watch and hear. what got me was there was no formal music written down — i could see their binders and all that the pages contained were lines of text. there were sporadic staves of cheat measures in the keyboardist’s, but that’s about it.<\/p>\n

i suppose the inevitable question is whether i liked last night’s avant garde concert<\/a> more or this Spanish opera that i didn’t really understand. tough question; they’re apples and oranges. i can say, though, that i would definitely like to get more exposure to avant garde music, and i’m ok leaving this as a one-time only thing. something else i learned today was how many times the venue of last night’s concert, The Kitchen<\/a>, was referenced in showcased pieces. apparently early versions of Perfect Lives<\/em> were commissioned by and performed there. i feel lucky to have been able to go to a performance at that venue!<\/p>\n

i wonder if it’s too ambitious to make going to Biennials a “thing”? they’re so enjoyable and if you’re a modern art fan, i can’t urge you to schedule your next trip to New York City to coincide with one. the next Biennial (2016) will be in their new Meatpacking District building<\/a>, set to open next year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

p..s give this lady a prize!<\/p>\n

\n

Serious kudos to the lady who said out loud, "What the hell is this?!" while walking around a modern art museum. #whitneybiennial<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jonathan Khoo (@jonk) April 20, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n