Reception and Talk: The Biennial as Snapshot and Legacy Sat, Mar 11, 2017, 4:30–6 pm

Reception and Talk: The Biennial as Snapshot and Legacy

Sat, Mar 11, 2017
4:30–6 pm

A painting of two people lounging on a couch and reading the newspaper with a colorfully patterned background.
A painting of two people lounging on a couch and reading the newspaper with a colorfully patterned background.

Aliza Nisenbaum, La Talaverita, Sunday Morning NY Times, 2016. Oil on linen, 68 x 88 in. (172.7 x 223.5 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy T293 Gallery, Rome and Mary Mary, Glasgow

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The Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.

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Floor 3, Theater

Patron, Circle, Fellow, and Sponsor members

In this talk, teaching fellow Erica Cooke will provide conceptual context for the Biennial by considering how the exhibition challenges artists, curators, and audiences to engage with the current moment and reckon with historical legacies. The 2017 Biennial, like the previous iterations of the exhibition, is both a snapshot of today and part of an ongoing trajectory: it is the seventy-eighth exhibition in the Whitney’s ongoing series of Biennials and Annuals, and each is situated within an institutional frame provided by the Museum’s collection and exhibitions. Cooke will trace a few salient institutional, sociopolitical, and artistic legacies, as well as explore how these histories might nourish or burden today’s artists. This will provide an entry point for understanding the key themes of this year’s Biennial, including the formation of self and the individual’s place in a turbulent society. A wine reception will be available during the program.

Talk: 4:30–5:30 pm 
Reception: 5:30–6 pm 

Patron, Circle, Fellow, and Sponsor members are invited to this event. The invitation is for two individuals per membership household. Registration instructions will be provided by email.

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On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.