NightFall Arts: Blog 7: The Whitney Museum

A return to the an new jaunt across New York City with an exceptional tour of the Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing. This contemporary art show reflects a varied taste of artists and mediums.

Our first item to be reviewed is the work of Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio which is made from modified amber, a petrified form of tree resin. Aparicio uses the material to elevate the history and objects of Central American communities in the United States, treating the material as archival material. In the amber we find all manner of items that were found in the area of his Los Angeles studio, and documents that promoted justice in Central America. Closer review of the object reflects the very nature of the effects of time and weather as the object is slowly deforming and changing over the course of the exhibition as a result of gravity and exposure to ambient light. This natural effect of time on the sculpture will also effect the embed objects inside naturally shifting them as if even in this permanence it is not immune to the changes of time and whether making this an even more interesting piece.

Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, Paloma Blanca Deja Volar/White Dove Let us Fly, 2024

As we move around the white space of the Whitney we come across the works of Torkwase Dyson, which is described as a “monastic playground,” this installation is meant to be activated by visitors, who are invited to touch, sit on, and experience the work in a tactile way. These menacing sculptures reflect a sense of strength yet the subtle curve softens the rigidity of structure. In the center you will find stone slab which feels inviting making one want to sit on it and get a feel for the enclosure of the space. For Dyson, the intertwining of abstraction and Blackness is a central philosophical concern that came out of an interest in public infrastructure. The relationships between ecology, belonging, and personal history.

Torkwase Dyson, Liquid Shadows, Solid Dreams (A Monastic Playground)

Torkwase Dyson, Liquid Shadows, Solid Dreams (A Monastic Playground)

Continuing on we come across the works of Julia Phillips. In the Nourisher, which consists of a chest and partial face cast gazing downward reflecting human form being given nourishment in a somewhat unnatural manner, lending to a dystopian thought of a future in which humanity is keep alive through such means. Further thought on the piece bring the thought of see an individual who is being kept alive by the tube running into them, similar to that of an incubated patient in a hospital.

Julia Phillips, Nourisher, 2022

In her other work, Mediator Julia Phillips creates a wonderful piece with two ceramic chest casts, glazed in contrasting complexions, conjure an image of slightly tilted standing human bodies—both familiar and alien. Looking at each piece one feels as if the individual that is trying to be depicted is broken and not whole. It is only when you look at the object from its front as if looking directly at the face of an individual do you see the wonder full form that is created and more whole than initially thought. In the center we come to see a microphone which a circular piece almost giving the form a feel of religious zeal as if creating a halo around the head object.

Julia Phillips, Mediator, 2020

Next we come across the works of Mavis Pusey. In her work Within Manhattan, and her Untitled works we are treated to an abstract form based on architecture, and especially the ever-changing New York cityscape as a source of inspiration for her work. Mavis Pusey wrote;“The tempo and movement mold into a synthesis and, for me, become another aesthetic of abstraction.” This is visually presented in her work which displays that frantic motion and movement with a dynamic, hard-edge style that is the feel of the construction site of a building.