August 18, 2022
The Whitney Biennial, may have skipped a pandemic beat, but it was back on track this Spring and Summer. The exhibition that would have opened last year will now run through September 5, 2022. Friday nights at the downtown museum are Pay-What-You-Wish from 7–10 pm, so you have three more opportunities to see this show for considerably less than the standard $25 Adult/$18 Senior & Student charge.
We popped by on a recent Friday night and came away impressed. The Curators have put together an amazing selection of contemporary art and the setting is spectacular. As it happened, we went on the first night following the recent heat wave and found the strong, cool breeze on the outdoor balconies absolutely delightful. The views of downtown Manhattan and the bigger than life-sized sculptures and colorful, flashing neon palm trees on these patios were stunning.
Back inside, the show was one surprise after another. One moment you’re looking at a huge teepee cover, and then you’re in a darkened room watching video of a #BLM mobilization while powerful turbines overhead replicated the downdraft of military choppers. There were also many impressive examples of 2-D art, as well as a sculpture that spanned several floors of the Museum and a wall of those little viewers that kids used to love to peer through in the days before digital everything.
Quiet As It’s Kept, the title of this year’s installment of the series, is well worth a trip dt from Inwood, and all the more so if you go on a Pay-What-You-Wish Friday night.
