The Whitney Biennial, a survey of American art begun in 1932, has long been a platform for a wide range of artistic representation. The exhibition for 2022, titled Quiet As It’s Kept, is made up of a diverse array of mediums, covering themes of abstraction, narrative, and the challenge of defining what is “American.” Two of the featured artists are currently based in Providence: Tony Cokes and Michael E. Smith. Cokes’ work consists of video installations which recycle the words of notable figures from Judith Butler to John Lewis, juxtaposed against brightly colored slideshows. Smith is a sculptor, transforming common objects to create social commentary. The exhibition will remain open on partial viewing through October 16th.
Roy Lichtenstein made an art of copying. Now, the Whitney is appropriating the appropriator. In Like New, reproduction, reconstruction, and Pop spectacle become curatorial strategies, creating a tribute that looks suspiciously like the museum’s own self-portrait.
Elise Ansel talks with the Brown Art Review about her experiences at Brown and engagement with art history within her work abstracting Old Master Paintings
Through their personal experience, Alex guides us through a vision for a personalized way of appreciating art, demonstrating that the value of art is not in the work, but in our hearts, joyfully entangled by context and life.