by, Holland Cotter, New York Times
"In what felt like a pre-emptive effort at damage control, the Whitney Museum of American Art
did everything to underpitch its 2010 Biennial. With 55 artists, we were advised, it would be half the size of the 2006 show. Unlike the 2008 version, which spilled over into the Park Avenue Armory, this one would be confined to the museum’s premises. No frills. Tight belts. We’re doing our best. Don’t shoot.
The show lives up — or down — to its billing.
It has no theme; its catalog is slight; its installation, spartan.
Spectacle is out. Much of what’s in is quiet and hermetic to the point of initially looking blank. The prevailing aesthetic is the art of the tweak, minute variations on conventional forms and historical styles: abstract paintings stitched like quilts, performance pieces channeling the 1960s, and so on.
But if the museum gets full points for truth in advertising, it can also claim credit for a solid and considered product. The show has dead spots, mainly where it reflects the retrenched art-about-art spirit of the day. But it also has strong work (particularly in video) that speaks of life beyond the art factory."
See the rest of the article here: At a Biennial on a Budget, Tweaking and Provoking
See more photos of the Whitney Biennial here: Whitney Biennial 2010
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