Whitney Biennial 2002: 2002 Biennial Exhibition

Rating:
Summary: Biennial with an identity problem...
Review: Walking away from the 2002 Whitney Biennial, I had mixed feelings of the state of contemporary art. The Whitney has resigned to classifying it in a catch-all "pluralism" in which there simply is so many voices out there under so many disciplines and influences that it cannot be herded into an umbrella term. Fair enough, but the show is probably an ideal example of how problematic such resignation can be.

The cross-over of disciplines fairly common among artists made for an interesting mix of pieces ranging from collective installations to delicate sculptural pieces to a mix of mainly urban "house-like" soundworks. Indeed the transition from Tracie Morris' stuttering and beautiful soundworks to Chris Ware's highly-detailed agnst-ridden comic panels to Destroy All Monsters' urban, almost adolescent painted tributes to Detroit was a fairly smooth one.

The mood of the exhibition, though often felt artifical and sometimes contrived. In an age of an overabundance of market imagery, pondering over the various aspects of mosh-pits and extreme sports had the impact of a cola commercial. Artists as spiritual conduits; spiritual leaders as artists; channeling the spirits of dead artists. This all seems interesting but were they in the appropriate forum? Which leads to the questions has the Biennial outlived its usefulness as a forum? Has contemporary art outgrown museums as a result of market/academic/visual oversaturation?