乐观和焦虑中的惠特尼双年展

Anxious and Optimistic Whitney Biennial

2010年2月25日第75届惠特尼双年展在惠特尼美术馆拉开了帷幕。作为特约策展人,芝加哥当代艺术博物馆的前高级策展人伯纳米形容本届惠特尼双年展是＂异常又令人乐观的＂。伯纳米解释道：＂异常是因为本届双年展较为安静,就像斯蒂芬·金小说的第一章,一切看起来很平常,但读者都知道会有事发生。＂本届双年展的规模有所减小,参展艺术家只有55位,而且主办方并没有设定明确的策展主题。双年展的副策展人加里·卡里翁·穆拉亚力在解释不设策展主题时说：＂我们希望尽可能反映艺术家们在过去两年里创作状况。受经济状况影响,艺术家在材料选择上受到一定限制,而且也不太可能制作规模宏大的作品。＂2010惠特尼双年展没有特定艺术媒介或美学风格的倾向,而是将汇集广泛的个体姿态、个人历史和即兴碰撞,从而围绕开放性和共性展开讨论。＂2010年惠特尼双年展的时间是2010年2月25日到5月30日。

The 2010 Whitney Biennial marks the series' 75th anniversary,yet while one might expect an exorbitant extravaganza,it is smaller and less grandiose than older iterations.Only 55 artists are displayed(down from more than 100 in 2006).The reduced size of the show has drawn criticism from various sources.When discussing the Biennial in his recent New York Times article,Holland Cotter wrote that 'the show lives up -or down - to its billing' and that 'much of what's in is quiet and hermetic to the point of initially looking blank.' It Is undeniable that the reduction, which was largely brought on by budget constraints,has created a more sober atmosphere than the artistic smorgasbords of previous years - but maybe that's not a bad thing.ln their opening remarks,the 2010 Whitney Biennial curators Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari confessed that they approached the selection process(gasp) open-mindedly,without a preconceived theme.Fortunately,the exhibition itself faithfully reflects their intent,presenting a resonant sampling of contemporary art practice. That is not to say that the show selection is thematically unfocused or ungrounded.To the contrary,much of the work manifests a rediscovered attention to physicality in various ways:in its preoccupation with human vulnerability,in its juxtaposition of figuration and geometry,or slmply in its palpable materiality.The exhibition will be on show from 25th February to 30th May 2010.