Tag Archive "roland-flexner"

Whitney Biennial – noisy, quiet, beautiful, ugly

Now in its 75th go-round, The Whitney Biennial is still the big kahuna, the show every American artist wants to be in and every art lover wants to see. This year the career-boosting show includes no Philadelphia artist.   We had representation in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 — so much for that trend.  Instead, the curators went to Chicago, Oregon, Los Angeles and, of course, New York for the 55 artists, more than half of them women (a first) and many of them under the national radar.

Shiny penny no more–Whitney Biennial takes on the new America

Quiet, a little sad, introspective, and not a lot of beauty. Those are how I’d sum up this year’s Whitney Biennial, now celebrating its 75th edition. After the ebullient excess of 2008, in which more than 80 artists exploded beyond the bounds of the museum, taking up residence in the nearby armory, and pock marking Central Park, a mere 55 artists certainly reflects a societal time of retrenchment and self-reassessment. It’s as if America is no longer the youthful shiny penny it used to be. Well, that would be right. It’s not. And this is the Whitney Biennial that reflects ... More » »

Weekly Update – Ink! at Gallery Joe

This week’s Weekly has my short editor’s pick review of Ink! at Gallery Joe. Below is the copy with some pictures. More photos at flickr. Ink is a persnickety art material, but one with a cult following. Perfectionist artists often make their own inks (grinding pigments or using alternative liquids like tea), and many are fanatics about brushes and pens. Call them old-fashioned or visionary, but some day soon these artists will be our only link to the ancient material. Roland Flexner.untitled 2007sumi ink on paper 5 3/4 x 7″ Gallery Joe’s summer show is a celebration of the material ... More » »