Pregame Painting Report: 2019 Whitney Biennial

The 2019 edition of the Whitney Biennial,�on view�May 17 through September 22, was curated by Whitney Museum�Associate Curator Jane Panetta and Assistant Curator Rujeko Hockley. Each�has experience curating painting into group exhibitions, which means we should see some relevant, maybe thought-provoking,�work on canvas (or related material).�Hockley came to the Whitney in 2017 from the Brooklyn Museum, and she has co-curated �Toyin Ojih Odutola: To Wander Determined��and “An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney�s Collection, 1940�2017.���Panetta, who has worked at at the Whitney since 2010, helped organize��America Is Hard to See,���Fast Forward: Painting from the 1980s,� and a solo for�Njideka Akunyili Crosby.�To curate the Biennial, they visited studios across the country, eventually narrowing their selection to�75 artists. To see what they came up with, check out their�list of artists, which we have edited to include�links to he artist�s websites, and, if�the practice�has a relationship to painting (our definition is expansive), an image.

Although no official title or theme has been announced,�the curators presented these comments in the press release:

Panetta: Ru and I especially focused on emerging artists and first time Biennial participants: approximately seventy-five percentof the artists in the show are under forty and only five have previously appeared in a Whitney Biennial. In part, this emphasis resulted from what we saw during our research across the U.S., as we were struck by the profound difficulties of our current moment and the ways in which so many artists we encountered are struggling and facing fewer opportunities to present their work publicly.

Hockley:�Although intentionally broad in scope, the exhibition explores key themes, including the mining of history in order to reimagine the present or future, a profound and sustained consideration of questions of equity along financial, racial, and sexual lines, a concern with climate change, and explorations of the vulnerability of the body. Artists in the exhibition are engaged with notions of what community means and can provide while using art to confront and cope with our current world.

Eddie Arroyo
www.eddiearroyo.com
Born 1976 in Miami, FL
Lives in Miami, FL

Korakrit Arunanondchai www.carlosishikawa.com/artists/korakritarunanondchai/
Born 1986 in Bangkok, Thailand
Lives in New York, NY, and Bangkok, Thailand

Olga Balema
www.croynielsen.com/artists/olga-balema/
Born 1984 in Lviv, Ukraine
Lives in New York, NY

Morgan Bassichis
www.morganbassichis.com
Born 1983 in Newton, MA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Blitz Bazawule
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitz_the_Ambassador
Born 1982 in Accra, Ghana
Lives in New York, NY

Alexandra Bell
www.alexandrabell.com/public-work
Born 1983 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Brian Belott
www.gavinbrown.biz/artists/brian_belott/works
Born 1973 in East Orange, NJ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Meriem Bennani
www.meriembennani.com
Born 1988 in Rabat, Morocco
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Robert Bittenbender
www.lomex.gallery/rb2.htm
Born 1987 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Lucas Blalock
www.lucasblalock.com
Born 1978 in Asheville, NC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Garrett Bradley
www.garrettabradley.com
Born 1986 in New York, NY
Lives in New Orleans, LA

Milano Chow
www.milanochow.com
Born 1987 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Colectivo Los Ingr�vidos
www.vimeo.com/user15819885
Founded 2011 in Tehuac�n, Mexico

Thirza Cuthand
www.thirzacuthand.com
Born 1978 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Lives in Toronto, Ontario

John Edmonds
www.lightwork.org/archive/john-edmonds/
Born 1989 in Washington, DC
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Nicole Eisenman
www.antonkerngallery.com/artists/nicole_eisenman
Born 1965 in Verdun, France
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Janiva Ellis
www.47canal.us/main.php?1=je&2=pics
Born 1987 in Oakland, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Los Angeles, CA

Kota Ezawa
www.hainesgallery.com/kota-ezawa-bio
Born 1969 in Cologne, West Germany
Lives in Oakland, CA

Brendan Fernandes
www.brendanfernandes.ca/
Born 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Chicago, IL

FIERCE and Paper Tiger Television
www.papertiger.org/fenced-out/
FIERCE: Founded 2000 in New York, NY
Paper Tiger Television: Founded 1981 in New York, NY

Marcus Fischer
www.mapmap.ch/
Born 1977 in Torrance, CA
Lives in Portland, OR

Forensic Architecture
www.forensic-architecture.org/
Founded 2010 in London, United Kingdom

Ellie Ga
www.elliega.info/
Born 1976 in New York, NY
Lives in Stockholm, Sweden

Nicholas Galanin
www.galan.in/
Born 1979 in Sitka, AK
Lives in Sitka, AK

Sof�a Gallis� Muriente
www.hatoreina.com/
Born 1986 in San Juan, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR

Jeffrey Gibson
www.jeffreygibson.net/
Born 1972 in Colorado Springs, CO
Lives in Germantown, NY

Todd Gray
www.toddgrayart.com/index.html
Born 1954 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA, and Akwidaa, Ghana

Sam Green
www.samgreen.to/
Born 1966 in Detroit, MI
Lives in New York, NY

Barbara Hammer
www.barbarahammer.com/
Born 1939 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives New York, NY

Ilana Harris-Babou
www.ilanahb.com/
Born 1991 in Brooklyn, NY
Lives in Williamstown, MA, and Brooklyn, NY

Matthew Angelo Harrison
www.jessicasilvermangallery.com/matthew-angelo-harrison/
Born 1989 in Detroit, MI
Lives in Detroit, MI

Curran Hatleberg
www.curranhatleberg.com/index.html
Born 1982 in Washington, DC
Lives in Baltimore, MD

Madeline Hollander
www.madelinehollander.com/
Born 1986 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in New York, NY

Iman Issa
www.imanissa.com/bio
Born 1979 in Cairo, Egypt
Lives in Berlin, Germany, and New York, NY

Tomashi Jackson
www.jacktiltongallery.com/artists/jackson/
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY, and Cambridge, MA

Steffani Jemison
www.steffanijemison.com/
Born 1981 in Berkeley, CA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, and Jackson Polys
www.flahertyseminar.org/violent-civilization/
Adam Khalil: Born 1988 in Nyack, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Zack Khalil: Born 1991 in Newton, MA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Jackson Polys: Born 1976 in Ketchikan, AK
Lives in New York, NY

Christine Sun Kim
www.christinesunkim.com/
Born 1980 in Orange County, CA
Lives in Berlin, Germany

Josh Kline
www.joshkline.info/
Born 1979 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Autumn Knight
www.autumnjoiknight.com/
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in New York, NY

Carolyn Lazard
www.carolynlazard.com/
Born 1987 in Upland, CA
Lives in Philadelphia, PA

Maia Ruth Lee
www.maiaruthlee.club/
Born 1983 in Busan, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY

Simone Leigh
www.luhringaugustine.com/artists/simone-leigh
Born 1967 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Daniel Lind-Ramos
www.joanmitchellcenter.today/daniel-lind-ramos
Born 1953 in Lo�za, PR
Lives in Lo�za, PR

James Luna
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Luna
Born 1950 in Orange, CA
Died 2018

Eric N. Mack
www.simonleegallery.com/artists/eric-n-mack/
Born 1987 in Columbia, MD
Lives in New York, NY

Calvin Marcus
www.davidkordanskygallery.com/artist/calvin-marcus/
Born 1988 in San Francisco, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Tiona Nekkia McClodden
www.tionam.com/
Born 1981 in Blytheville, AR
Lives in Philadelphia, PA

Troy Michie
www.troymichie.com/
Born 1985 in El Paso, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Joe Minter
www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/joe-minter
Born 1943 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in Birmingham, AL

Keegan Monaghan
www.jamesfuentes.com/artists/keegan-monaghan
Born 1986 in Evanston, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Caroline Monnet
www.carolinemonnet.ca/
Born 1985 in Ottawa, Ontario
Lives in Montreal, Quebec

Darius Clark Monroe
www.vimeo.com/daclamo
Born 1980 in Houston, TX
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Ragen Moss
www.ragenmoss.com/
Born 1978 in New York, NY
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Sahra Motalebi
www.sahramotalebi.com/
Born 1979 in Birmingham, AL
Lives in New York, NY, and Delaware County, NY

Marlon Mullen
www.jttnyc.com/6953,266301,31240
Born 1963 in Richmond, CA
Lives in Rodeo, CA

Jeanette Mundt
www.societeberlin.com/artists/jeanette-mundt/
Born 1982 in Princeton, NJ
Lives in Somerset, NJ

Wangechi Mutu
www.wangechimutu.com/
Born 1972 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Nairobi, Kenya

Las Nietas de Non�
www.contemporaryand.com/magazines/las-nietas-de-nono-we-need-to-heal-the-wounds/
Lydela Non�: Born 1979 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR
Michel Non�: Born 1982 in San Juan, PR
Lives in Carolina, PR

Jenn Nkiru
www.vimeo.com/jennnkiru
Born 1987 in London, United Kingdom
Lives in London, United Kingdom

Laura Ortman
www.thedustdiveflash.bandcamp.com/
Born 1973 in Whiteriver, AZ
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Jennifer Packer
www.sikkemajenkinsco.com/jennifer-packer/
Born 1984 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives in New York, NY

nibia pastrana santiago
www.nibiapastrana.com/
Born 1987 in Caguas, PR
Lives in San Juan, PR

Elle P�rez
www.cargocollective.com/elleperez
Born 1989 in the Bronx, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Pat Phillips
www.patphillipsart.com/
Born 1987 in Lakenheath, United Kingdom
Lives in Pineville, LA

Gala Porras-Kim
www.labor.org.mx/en/artists/gala-porras-kim/
Born 1984 in Bogot�, Colombia
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Walter Price
www.karmakarma.org/artists/walter-price/
Born 1989 in Macon, GA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Carissa Rodriguez
www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/recipients/carissa-rodriguez
Born 1970 in New York, NY
Lives in New York, NY

Paul Mpagi Sepuya
www.paulsepuya.com/newsite/
Born 1982 in San Bernardino, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Heji Shin
www.instagram.com/hejishin/?hl=en
Born 1983 in Seoul, South Korea
Lives in New York, NY

Diane Simpson
www.dianesimpson.net/
Born 1935 in Joliet, IL
Lives in Wilmette, IL

Martine Syms
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martine_Syms
Born 1988 in Los Angeles, CA
Lives in Los Angeles, CA

Kyle Thurman
www.kylethurman.com/
Born 1986 in West Chester, PA
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Mariana Valencia
www.marianavalencia.work/
Born 1984 in Chicago, IL
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Agustina Woodgate
www.agustinawoodgate.com/
Born 1981 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lives in Miami, FL, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands

“Whitney Biennial 2019,” The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY. May 17 – September 22, 2019.

Related posts:
2008: “Bitter slog� for painting in the 2008 Whitney Biennial
2010: 18 painters selected for Whitney Biennial
2012: Painting strategies at the Whitney Biennial
2014: Whitney Biennial: Curators� statements, painting links
2016: Dana Schutz, Emmett Till, motherhood,�and�the Whitney Biennial

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