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May 14, 2004

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Like Mall-Walking for the Urbanite—A Review of the 2004 Whitney Biennial

Paige Poling

Forget the cultural capital bonus points you get for attending the Whitney Biennial. Never mind the intellectual stimulation, the political messages, or using art as a diversion from the real world. In the tradition of Big Apple-style multi-tasking and an anti-zen attitude in general, use this exhibit as a kind of psychedelic obstacle course. It is multi-tasking because, although I have suggested you neglect most of the reasons people go to see art, some of those will surely seep through your workout regime.
Let’s get started! You will probably take public transportation (good for you!) and exit the 6 train at the 77th street stop. Go west to Madison and 75th where the large gray mass of the Whitney looms. This walk will serve as part of your warm-up. Remember to take it slow and breathe. If you have come on a busy day, do some more stretching while standing in line. Don't forget to keep your movements graceful, and try to keep a thoughtful look so as not to attract too much attention and risk confusing other attendees, who may think you are part of the exhibit.

One of the most important stretching exercises is the head tilt. Lower your head to your right shoulder and extend your left leg, keeping your foot on the ground. Many exhibit viewers try this mid-show and experience cramping. Now repeat on the other side. The more advanced athlete may try the stretching technique called The Sophisticate, which is performed by lifting the right arm from the waist as if holding a cigarette, taking a (hypothetical) puff, and exhaling, with head lifted, in a long breath. This is combined with a look of knowing superiority mixed with an only slightly detectable amount of reverence. Don't strain.

The Whitney has the Biennial arranged so that you start at the top. For those who aren’t used to a strong workout, take the elevator as directed. The rebellious mountain-climber types can take the stairs and start at whatever floor they wish.
When starting at the top, you will be confronted by a large wall text explaining the intentions of the curators. This is where the workout begins! Run past this text without reading it and proceed to the art. We wouldn’t want you to be biased by people who think way too much about how to connect disparate artworks. Now, keeping up your slight jog, so as not to run into anyone, proceed from room to room. You are allowed to stop and take a breather if anything catches your eye. To vary your workout, observe the viewers and assume the pose of each person for about five seconds.

Since this exhibit of 108 artists ("and collaborative teams") is heavy on the psychedelic colors and 60s/70s-inspired aesthetic, try to wear some appropriate workout gear, perhaps short shorts with a reflective stripe on each side. The Whitney acknowledges “Psychedelia” as one of the themes of the exhibit, so don’t worry about the dress code.

If you need a mid-workout cooldown, you can get comfortable outfit in Sue de Beer’s “Hans und Grete,” a two-channel video installation from 2002, complete with enormous stuffed animals you can lay on, shag carpet and overwhelming pink ambience. Videos play on two screens, showing sometimes only slightly different views, and sometimes what seems like an alternate universe to the other side. Air guitar and earnest interviews mixed in with pubescent, spring-creaking sex are certainly amusing, but contain just the right amount of edge to make you feel like you aren’t relaxing too much from your workout. There is a political undertone, but remember this exhibit experience is more about your body than brain. You can experience similar effects of simultaneous tension and relaxation in Virgil Marti's installation "Grow Room", 2002, a brightly lit room covered in reflective Mylar, and printed flowers.

Although de Beer's work is supposed to fall under the "Gothic" theme the Whitney propose, don't let it or the other Gothic works slow you down. In fact, David Altmejd's werewolf parts are so glittery and sparkly they might just perk up your workout regime.

For an artwork that will really work your neck muscles and those side-to-side flexors in your legs, check out Zak Smith’s “Pictures of What Happens on each page of Thomas Pynchon’s Novel Gravity’s Rainbow.” 2004 is the ticket. Probably my favorite out of the entire show, Smith’s “acidic abstractions,” as the Whitney describes them, look like that some brilliant kid’s sketchbook pages spread out on the wall. You know what I am talking about, that guy you met one time at a party, the park or the commune kitchen who had those really great drawings overflowing from a sketchbook. That guy who it seemed would never be appreciated, a solitary genius wrapped in cardboard covers. Well, this is the moment for all sketchbook artists with pages of drawings spread out in a glorious celebration of detail. Don't forget to breathe.

The Biennial has also provided some off-site exhibits in Central Park for the avid art consumer/art athlete. "Three Day Weekend", 2004 by Dave Muller and others happened April 17-19th, but don't worry, it was boring and would have lowered your heart rate to unhealthy levels. Yayoi Kusama's "Narcissus Garden" was set to have opened on the 17th as well, but as the groundskeeper told me they were still waiting for the silver balls that were to fill the Conservatory waters to come from Japan. Take a run by anyway, and pay homage to the title of her work by admiring your physique in the water.

The key to a good workout at the Biennial is to remember that laughter is good medicine, as well as good exercise for the facial muscles. Feel free to chuckle at most of the art, as it is a valid response to much in this exhibition in a complicit rather than derisive sense

After you are home and showered, you can pull out the catalog you probably bought, since after all graduate students are intellectuals, and as a GC student you did get in FREE with your CUNY ID. Read and enjoy the curator’s articles but just make sure you are sitting down so you don’t fall on your head when reading sentences like “This fissure can be understood as the fulcrum…” Reading a sentence that begins like that could disrupt the balance of the universe and, suddenly, we could be thrust into an alternate universe where hypothetical holes become pivot points, Day-Glo colors are exciting and sending a space mission to the moon is an amazing feat.

Yes, CUNY students get in free with ID. The Biennial is showing until May 30th. Paige Poling, is a student in the PhD program in Art History. She reminds you that intellect plummet during a leave of absence and urges you to stay on track and go for the gold!