Whitney Biennial: Art Speak of the Label

Having once been to a Whitney Biennial when it coincided with a visit to New York and having found it, shall I say, "cutting edge modern", a mention over on Modern Art Notes Blog of an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the "wall-essays in the Whitney Biennial" described as a "must-read, laugh-out-loud piece" immediately had me interested. And, having now read it, I agree. Here's a taster:

"Even art that obviously forswears the Biennial's questioning, challengings, and convergences gets the intellectual gee-whiz treatment — for simply being, in a physical sense, normal: 'Hannah Greely is one of a number of Los Angeles-based artists whose work involves the fabrication of discrete works as opposed to large-scale installations.' In other words, the artist makes sculptures. ... These labels [say] in effect, 'This art is so far beyond you plebeians that you're lucky we even let you in to see it.'.

Read 'Blowing Art-Theory Smoke' by Laurie Fendrich, an abstract painter, who is also a professor of fine arts at Hofstra University, and have a good chuckle. (And if you're a relative of one of the label writers thinking of sending me hate email for highlighting this article, please note that any emails may be used for future blogs, so at least get your grammar right.)