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As the sun set over Manhattan’s Meatpacking District on Monday evening, the Whitney Museum of American Art was filled with crowds celebrating the opening of the 81st Whitney Biennial. This year’s show, Even Better Than the Real Thing, tackles the question of what is “real” through works about the rise of artificial intelligence, gender fluidity, and the fragility of nature.
While film director Darren Aronofsky researched a series of sculptures of Rose B. Simpson, critics and gallerists ignored their existence.
“I read the caption on the museum wall, and I like this year’s theme,” Aronofsky said. “Everyone in the world is thinking the same thing right now, so I like the idea of thinking about our current reality through art.”
On the ground floor, a DJ played Latin dance hits to a crowd of arts luminaries who swapped industry gossip over Paloma cocktails. The museum’s stairwells feature works by Mary Lovelace O’Neill, Pippa Garner, Holland Andrews, Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, and JJJJ Jerome Ellis, whose work (and name) explores the condition of stuttering. It was filled with visitors moving across the building’s floors in search of the spot.
On the fifth floor, David Byrne, wearing white pants, white sneakers, and a white jacket, gazed at Jess Huang’s sculpture. Curator and art historian Roselie Goldberg praised Dara Nasser’s installation. The show’s co-curators, Meg Only and Chrissy Iles, warmly welcomed the artists.
Groups lined up to see Lotus L. Kang’s installation “In Cascades.” This installation consists of suspended sheets of photosensitive film that change during the Biennale.
“These films continue to evolve,” Kang says. “They are porous and taking on a life of their own, and that instability is also a reality of the human condition. Nothing remains fixed, including our bodies and our identities.”
Elsewhere, fashion designer Cynthia Rowley weaved her way through a crowd of bespectacled art people with a bowl-shaped haircut. At the cocktail table, critic Dean Kissick exchanged notes with Mary Boone about the Biennale.
“I’m still gathering my thoughts on this show because I’m planning to write about it, but I think it’s terrible,” Kissick said. “According to this Biennale, art is moving back in time to a more conservative place. What I am saying is that there is currently a tendency in the art world to combine progressive politics with conservative forms, mediums, and aesthetics. And that’s what I’m looking at here.”
On the sixth floor, Dustin Yellin examined Mary Kelly’s work “Lacunae,” which uses a calendar to explore aging and death.
“For me, this year’s biennial theme is about the spiritual interference and frenzy that is currently dividing the country,” Yellin said. “The art here reflects the way people are coming together again.”
Outside, on the balcony, a large, understated installation by Kiyan Williams tied together the show’s thematic threads. Titled “Ruins of Empire II or the Earth Swallowing the Master’s House,” this terrestrial sculpture depicts the column-lined facade of the White House sinking into the ground.
When the museum emptied that night, a few guests remained on the balcony, admiring the sunken ship and the American flag erected atop the bridge waving in the wind.
Make a splash in the art world
While New Yorkers were still forming their opinions on the Whitney Biennial, another event was taking place in the art world. Thursday night at Midtown’s The Grill and the Pool restaurant, Art Museum, which commissions public art projects such as the solitary Prada Marfa installation in Texas and the Seven Magic Mountains in Nevada, Production Fund’s annual gala was held.
As cocktail hour began around 6 p.m., The Grill’s metal chain curtains sparkled and the room filled with celebrities including Olivia Wilde and Drew Barrymore. This year’s gala had a cruise ship theme, with servers wearing captain’s hats and passing around trays of crispy artichokes and sliders. Several guests sat on deck chairs, holding cocktail umbrellas and drinking blue margaritas.
Debbie Harry and Cynthia Rowley were reunited with old friends in the crowd. Fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti praised an installation by Laila Gohar, a chef and artist known for her quirky food-based works using hundreds of oyster shells. And Huma Abedin hung out with hotelier Sean McPherson by the bar.
“I think we’re always looking for the beauty that can be found in New York City,” Abedin said, reflecting on the value of public art. “Walking down Park Avenue or passing through Madison Square Park and looking at what’s on display is a moment of escapism. As New Yorkers, we need something that allows us to see beyond our apartment. And public art democratizes beauty.”
McPherson also shared her feelings.
“A city without public art is a declining place,” he says. “Art is what separates us from the savages.”
The fight includes some of the city’s younger art circles, including artist Chloe Wise, art dealer Max LeVay, Vanity Fair writer Nate Freeman, and 56 Henry gallerist Ellie Lines. Players also joined in.
“Some people have a kind of notion that because public art is ‘public,’ it shouldn’t be provocative,” Wise says. “There’s a snobbery side to people who miss that. That’s also why the Arts Production Fund is so important.”
Lynes brought one of the artists, Cynthia Talmadge, as his date. “It’s true that public art can sometimes seem lackluster, but this event always provides style and flair,” Reines said. “I’ve always loved the Picasso-inspired sculptures in the square in Soho.”
The guests soon had dinner in the luxurious surroundings of the pool. As shirtless dancers, they nibbled on smoked salmon with latkes and capers, performed choreography by artist Shikis, and splashed in the room’s illuminated pool. The event, titled “Visiting Hour,” paid homage to the gay cruising culture that once flourished on the Hudson River piers.
Nonprofit board members Casey Fremont and Kathleen Lynch gave remarks to kick off the fundraiser, which raised more than $850,000. Sarah Friedlander, vice president of Christie’s, then led the live auction, where Joel Messler’s nautical-themed painting “Untitled (Cruise)” sold for $120,000.
The restaurant slowly emptied out for the night as guests finished eating Carbone’s lobster ravioli and countless martini orders arrived at the table. Artist Anna Weyant and podcast host Eileen Kelly were sitting alone together.
Kelly reflected on the power of public art.
“I’ve always loved the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park,” Kelly said. “So many kids grow up seeing it and even if they didn’t realize it at the time, they’ll never forget it. It’s a great sculpture that gives back to people.”
“I think public art is sexy,” she added. “Our world can be so ugly, so why not make it more beautiful if we can?”
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