Whitney Biennial 2008
06 Mar - 01 Jun 2008
WHITNEY BIENNIAL
6 March - 1 June 2008
Featuring 81 visionary artists, with works ranging from a dance marathon to a man-made animal habitat in the Museum's sculpture court, the 2008 Biennial shows where American art stands today.
The 2008 Biennial is curated by Henriette Huldisch, assistant curator at the Whitney, and Shamim M. Momin, associate curator at the Whitney and branch director and curator of the Whitney Museum at Altria, and overseen by Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s chief curator and associate director for programs. Three advisors worked with the curatorial team throughout the process: Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; Bill Horrigan, director of the media arts department at the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University; and Linda Norden, independent curator and writer. Biennial events at Park Avenue Armory are organized by the Whitney and Art Production Fund in association with Park Avenue Armory.
Donna De Salvo noted, “The Biennial is a laboratory, a way of ‘taking the temperature’ of what is happening now and putting it on view. It influences our thinking on multiple levels and, for the Whitney, translates directly into the choices we make about our exhibitions and collections. In dealing with the art of the present, there are no easy assessments, only multiple points of entry. For the Whitney, and for our public, we hope the Biennial is one way in.”
Whitney Biennial 2008 Artists:
Rita Ackermann
Born 1968 in Budapest, Hungary, Lives in New York, New York
Natalia Almada
Born 1974 in Mexico, Lives in Mexico City, Mexico and New York, New York
Edgar Arceneaux
Born 1972 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Fia Backström
Born 1970 in Stockholm, Sweden, Lives in New York, New York
John Baldessari
Born 1931 in National City, California, Lives in Santa Monica, California
Robert Bechtle
Born 1932 in San Francisco, California, Lives in San Francisco, California
Walead Beshty
Born 1976 in London, England, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Carol Bove
Born 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland, Lives in New York, New York
Joe Bradley
Born 1975 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Lives in New York, New York
Matthew Brannon
Born 1971 in Saint Maries, Idaho, Lives in New York, New York
Bozidar Brazda
Born 1972 in Cambridge, Canada, Lives in New York, New York
Olaf Breuning
Born 1970 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Lives in New York, New York
Jedediah Caesar
Born 1973 in Oakland, California. Lives in Los Angeles, California
William Cordova
Born 1971 in Lima, Peru, Lives in Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida
Dexter Sinister
Stuart Bailey - Born 1973 in York, England
David Reinfurt - Born 1971 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Based in New York, New York
Harry (Harriet) Dodge and Stanya Kahn
Born 1966 and 1968, respectively, in San Francisco, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Shannon Ebner
Born 1971 in Englewood, New Jersey, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Gardar Eide Einarsson
Born 1976 in Oslo, Norway, Lives in New York, New York
Roe Ethridge
Born 1969 in Miami, Florida, Lives in New York, New York
Kevin Jerome Everson
Born 1965 in Mansfield, Ohio, Lives in Charlottesville, Virginia
Omer Fast
Born 1972 in Jerusalem, Israel, Lives in Berlin, Germany
Robert Fenz
Born 1969 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coco Fusco
Born 1960 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Gang Gang Dance
Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian DeGraw, Tim DeWit, Josh Diamond, Nathan Maddox
Founded 2001-02 in New York, New York, Based in New York, New York
Amy Granat and Drew Heitzler
Born 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri, and born 1972 in Charleston, South Carolina, respectively
Live in New York, NY, and Los Angeles, California, respectively
Rashawn Griffin
Born 1980 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in New York, New York
Adler Guerrier
Born 1975 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Lives in Miami, Florida
MK Guth
Born 1963 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Lives in Portland, Oregon
Fritz Haeg
Born 1969 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Rachel Harrison
Born 1966 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Ellen Harvey
Born 1967 in Kent, England, Lives in New York, New York
Mary Heilmann
Born 1940 in San Francisco, California, Lives in New York, New York
Leslie Hewitt
Born 1977 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York and Houston, Texas
Patrick Hill Born
1972 in Royal Oak, Michigan, Lives in Los Angeles, California
William E. Jones
Born 1962 in Canton, Ohio, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Karen Kilimnik
Born 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Alice Könitz
Born 1970 in Essen, Germany, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Louise Lawler
Born 1947 in Bronxville, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Spike Lee
Born 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, Lives in New York, New York
Sherrie Levine
Born 1947 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York, New York
Charles Long
Born 1958 in Long Branch, New Jersey, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Lucky Dragons Luke Fischbeck
Born 1978 in San Francisco, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Daniel Joseph Martinez
Born 1957 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Corey McCorkle
Born 1969 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lives in New York, New York
Rodney McMillian
Born 1969 in Columbia, South Carolina, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Julia Meltzer and David Thorne
Born 1968 in Hollywood, California, and born 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts
Live in Los Angeles, California
Jennifer Montgomery
Born 1961 in New York, New York, Lives in Chicago, Illinois
Olivier Mosset
Born 1944 in Bern, Switzerland, Lives in Tucson, Arizona
Matt Mullican
Born 1951 in Santa Monica, California, Lives in New York, New York
Neighborhood Public Radio (NPR)
Formed 2004 in Oakland, California
Based in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego, California, and Chicago, Illinois
Ruben Ochoa
Born 1974 in Oceanside, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
DJ Olive
Born 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts, Lives in New York, New York
Mitzi Pederson
Born 1976 in Stuart, Florida, Lives in San Francisco, California
Kembra Pfahler/The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black
Born 1961 in Hermosa Beach, California, Lives in New York, New York
Seth Price
Born 1973 in East Jerusalem, Lives in New York, New York
Stephen Prina
Born 1954 in Galesburg, Illinois, Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California
Adam Putnam
Born 1973 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Michael Queenland
Born 1970 in Pasadena, California, Lives in New York, New York
Jason Rhoades
Born 1965, Newcastle, California, Died 2006, Los Angeles, California
Ry Rocklen
Born 1978 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Bert Rodriguez
Born 1975 in Miami, Florida, Lives in Miami, Florida
Marina Rosenfeld
Born 1968 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Amanda Ross-Ho
Born 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mika Rottenberg
Born 1976 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lives in New York, New York
Heather Rowe
Born 1970 in New Haven, Connecticut, Lives in New York, New York
Eduardo Sarabia
Born 1976 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Berlin, Germany
Melanie Schiff
Born 1977 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in Chicago, Illinois
Amie Siegel
Born 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in New York, New York and Berlin, Germany
Lisa Sigal
Born 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lives in New York, New York
Gretchen Skogerson
Born 1970 in Teaneck, New Jersey, Lives in New York, New York
Michael Smith
Born 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in New York, New York and Austin, Texas
Agathe Snow
Born 1976 in Corsica, France, Lives in New York, New York
Frances Stark
Born 1967 in Newport Beach, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mika Tajima/New Humans
Mika Tajima - Born 1975 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in New York, New York
Howie Chen - Born 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lives in New York, New York
Javier Téllez
Born 1969 in Valencia, Venezuela, Lives in New York, New York
Cheyney Thompson
Born 1975 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lives in New York, New York
Mungo Thomson
Born 1969 in Woodland, California, Lives in Berlin, Germany and Los Angeles, California
Leslie Thornton
Born 1951 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Lives in New York, New York
Phoebe Washburn
Born 1973 in Poughkeepsie, New York, Lives in New York, New York
James Welling
Born 1951 in Hartford, Connecticut, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mario Ybarra Jr.
Born 1973 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
www.whitney.org/biennial
6 March - 1 June 2008
Featuring 81 visionary artists, with works ranging from a dance marathon to a man-made animal habitat in the Museum's sculpture court, the 2008 Biennial shows where American art stands today.
The 2008 Biennial is curated by Henriette Huldisch, assistant curator at the Whitney, and Shamim M. Momin, associate curator at the Whitney and branch director and curator of the Whitney Museum at Altria, and overseen by Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s chief curator and associate director for programs. Three advisors worked with the curatorial team throughout the process: Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; Bill Horrigan, director of the media arts department at the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University; and Linda Norden, independent curator and writer. Biennial events at Park Avenue Armory are organized by the Whitney and Art Production Fund in association with Park Avenue Armory.
Donna De Salvo noted, “The Biennial is a laboratory, a way of ‘taking the temperature’ of what is happening now and putting it on view. It influences our thinking on multiple levels and, for the Whitney, translates directly into the choices we make about our exhibitions and collections. In dealing with the art of the present, there are no easy assessments, only multiple points of entry. For the Whitney, and for our public, we hope the Biennial is one way in.”
Whitney Biennial 2008 Artists:
Rita Ackermann
Born 1968 in Budapest, Hungary, Lives in New York, New York
Natalia Almada
Born 1974 in Mexico, Lives in Mexico City, Mexico and New York, New York
Edgar Arceneaux
Born 1972 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Fia Backström
Born 1970 in Stockholm, Sweden, Lives in New York, New York
John Baldessari
Born 1931 in National City, California, Lives in Santa Monica, California
Robert Bechtle
Born 1932 in San Francisco, California, Lives in San Francisco, California
Walead Beshty
Born 1976 in London, England, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Carol Bove
Born 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland, Lives in New York, New York
Joe Bradley
Born 1975 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Lives in New York, New York
Matthew Brannon
Born 1971 in Saint Maries, Idaho, Lives in New York, New York
Bozidar Brazda
Born 1972 in Cambridge, Canada, Lives in New York, New York
Olaf Breuning
Born 1970 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Lives in New York, New York
Jedediah Caesar
Born 1973 in Oakland, California. Lives in Los Angeles, California
William Cordova
Born 1971 in Lima, Peru, Lives in Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida
Dexter Sinister
Stuart Bailey - Born 1973 in York, England
David Reinfurt - Born 1971 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Based in New York, New York
Harry (Harriet) Dodge and Stanya Kahn
Born 1966 and 1968, respectively, in San Francisco, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Shannon Ebner
Born 1971 in Englewood, New Jersey, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Gardar Eide Einarsson
Born 1976 in Oslo, Norway, Lives in New York, New York
Roe Ethridge
Born 1969 in Miami, Florida, Lives in New York, New York
Kevin Jerome Everson
Born 1965 in Mansfield, Ohio, Lives in Charlottesville, Virginia
Omer Fast
Born 1972 in Jerusalem, Israel, Lives in Berlin, Germany
Robert Fenz
Born 1969 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coco Fusco
Born 1960 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Gang Gang Dance
Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian DeGraw, Tim DeWit, Josh Diamond, Nathan Maddox
Founded 2001-02 in New York, New York, Based in New York, New York
Amy Granat and Drew Heitzler
Born 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri, and born 1972 in Charleston, South Carolina, respectively
Live in New York, NY, and Los Angeles, California, respectively
Rashawn Griffin
Born 1980 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in New York, New York
Adler Guerrier
Born 1975 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Lives in Miami, Florida
MK Guth
Born 1963 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Lives in Portland, Oregon
Fritz Haeg
Born 1969 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Rachel Harrison
Born 1966 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Ellen Harvey
Born 1967 in Kent, England, Lives in New York, New York
Mary Heilmann
Born 1940 in San Francisco, California, Lives in New York, New York
Leslie Hewitt
Born 1977 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York and Houston, Texas
Patrick Hill Born
1972 in Royal Oak, Michigan, Lives in Los Angeles, California
William E. Jones
Born 1962 in Canton, Ohio, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Karen Kilimnik
Born 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Alice Könitz
Born 1970 in Essen, Germany, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Louise Lawler
Born 1947 in Bronxville, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Spike Lee
Born 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, Lives in New York, New York
Sherrie Levine
Born 1947 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York, New York
Charles Long
Born 1958 in Long Branch, New Jersey, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Lucky Dragons Luke Fischbeck
Born 1978 in San Francisco, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Daniel Joseph Martinez
Born 1957 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Corey McCorkle
Born 1969 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lives in New York, New York
Rodney McMillian
Born 1969 in Columbia, South Carolina, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Julia Meltzer and David Thorne
Born 1968 in Hollywood, California, and born 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts
Live in Los Angeles, California
Jennifer Montgomery
Born 1961 in New York, New York, Lives in Chicago, Illinois
Olivier Mosset
Born 1944 in Bern, Switzerland, Lives in Tucson, Arizona
Matt Mullican
Born 1951 in Santa Monica, California, Lives in New York, New York
Neighborhood Public Radio (NPR)
Formed 2004 in Oakland, California
Based in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego, California, and Chicago, Illinois
Ruben Ochoa
Born 1974 in Oceanside, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
DJ Olive
Born 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts, Lives in New York, New York
Mitzi Pederson
Born 1976 in Stuart, Florida, Lives in San Francisco, California
Kembra Pfahler/The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black
Born 1961 in Hermosa Beach, California, Lives in New York, New York
Seth Price
Born 1973 in East Jerusalem, Lives in New York, New York
Stephen Prina
Born 1954 in Galesburg, Illinois, Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California
Adam Putnam
Born 1973 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Michael Queenland
Born 1970 in Pasadena, California, Lives in New York, New York
Jason Rhoades
Born 1965, Newcastle, California, Died 2006, Los Angeles, California
Ry Rocklen
Born 1978 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Bert Rodriguez
Born 1975 in Miami, Florida, Lives in Miami, Florida
Marina Rosenfeld
Born 1968 in New York, New York, Lives in New York, New York
Amanda Ross-Ho
Born 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mika Rottenberg
Born 1976 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lives in New York, New York
Heather Rowe
Born 1970 in New Haven, Connecticut, Lives in New York, New York
Eduardo Sarabia
Born 1976 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Berlin, Germany
Melanie Schiff
Born 1977 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in Chicago, Illinois
Amie Siegel
Born 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in New York, New York and Berlin, Germany
Lisa Sigal
Born 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lives in New York, New York
Gretchen Skogerson
Born 1970 in Teaneck, New Jersey, Lives in New York, New York
Michael Smith
Born 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, Lives in New York, New York and Austin, Texas
Agathe Snow
Born 1976 in Corsica, France, Lives in New York, New York
Frances Stark
Born 1967 in Newport Beach, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mika Tajima/New Humans
Mika Tajima - Born 1975 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in New York, New York
Howie Chen - Born 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lives in New York, New York
Javier Téllez
Born 1969 in Valencia, Venezuela, Lives in New York, New York
Cheyney Thompson
Born 1975 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lives in New York, New York
Mungo Thomson
Born 1969 in Woodland, California, Lives in Berlin, Germany and Los Angeles, California
Leslie Thornton
Born 1951 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Lives in New York, New York
Phoebe Washburn
Born 1973 in Poughkeepsie, New York, Lives in New York, New York
James Welling
Born 1951 in Hartford, Connecticut, Lives in Los Angeles, California
Mario Ybarra Jr.
Born 1973 in Los Angeles, California, Lives in Los Angeles, California
www.whitney.org/biennial