Whitney Biennial 2022: 
Quiet as It’s Kept

Floor 6

Born 1977 in Kingston, Jamaica
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

During the pandemic, Dave McKenzie came upon an object in his studio, located in the basement of his house, that he had bought some time ago. Its purpose was to collect sawdust, although he had never used it. He began trying to fit himself into it, eventually creating and recording loosely improvised movement studies with this object—an accessory to a table saw—and others, including a pane of glass and a piece of Ikea furniture. He has explained, “I was thinking about writing and performing, and why in the year 2020 I felt the need to make a box that I could stick my head into and cry.” In his art, McKenzie is more interested in asking questions than in providing answers. As he has put it: “I am always decidedly asking ‘Why this?’ Lately I am equally interested in asking ‘Why not?’ and moving without having come up with any answer.”