2008 Whitney Biennial

81 artists have been selected for the 2008 Whitney Biennial, which runs from March 6 to June 1. In addition to the usual museum venue, the biennial extends to the Seventh Regiment Armory, where a series of performances and installations will take place from March 4 to March 22.

The selection was made by Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin, two members of the Whitney’s curatorial staff, and overseen by Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s Chief Curator and Associate Director of Programs. Three advisors will also join: Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum, Harlem; Bill Horrigan, Director of Media Arts at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University; and curator and writer Linda Norden.

Following 2006’s ‘Day for Night’, 2008 sees a return to an unthemed survey with a greater emphasis on installation and interdisciplinary practice. The ‘post-national’ focus of 2006 is left in favour of the tried-and-tested: many mid-career artists, with around half of those participating based in New York and another quarter based in Los Angeles. Female representation is less than 40 per cent. Established artists – John Baldessari, Sherrie Levine, James Welling – are joined by various collaborations (Dexter Sinister, Mika Tajima/New Humans) and musicians (Gang Gang Dance, Lucky Dragons, DJ Olive). In the second venue, LA artist Mario Ybarra Jr. will present an interactive installation, while New York performance artist Agathe Snow is organizing a dance marathon. One of several documentaries will be director Spike Lee’s new work on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Artist list:

Rita Ackermann (b.1968 Budapest, Hungary; based in New York), Natalia Almada (b.1974 Mexico; based in Mexico City and New York), Edgar Arceneaux (b. 1972 LA; based in LA), Fia Backström (b.1970 Stockholm; based in New York), John Baldessari (b.1931 National City, California; based in Santa Monica), Robert Bechtle (b.1932 San Francisco; based in San Francisco), Walead Beshty (b.1976 London; based in LA), Carol Bove (b.1971 Geneva; based in New York), Joe Bradley (b.1975 Maine; based in New York), Matthew Brannon (b.1971 Idaho; based in New York), Bozidar Brazda (b.1972 Canada; based in New York), Olaf Breuning (b.1970 Switzerland; based in New York), Jedediah Caesar (b.1973 Oakland, California; based in LA), William Cordova (b.1971 Lima, Peru; based in Houston and Miami), Dexter Sinister (Stuart Bailey b.1973 York, UK and David Reinfurt b.1971 North Carolina; based in New York), Harry (Harriet) Dodge and Stanya Kahn (b.1966 and 1968 San Francisco; based in LA), Shannon Ebner (b.1971 New Jersey; based in LA), Gardar Eide Einarsson (b.1976 Oslo; based in New York), Roe Ethridge (b.1969 Miami; based in New York), Kevin Jerome Everson (b.1965 Ohio; based in Virginia), Omer Fast (1972 Jerusalem; based in Berlin), Robert Fenz (b.1969 Michigan; based in Cambridge, Mass), Coco Fusco (b.1960 New York; based in New York), Gang Gang Dance (Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian DeGraw, Tim DeWit, Josh Diamond, Nathan Maddox; founded 2001-02 New York; based in New York), Amy Granat and Drew Heitzler (b.1976 St. Louis and b.1972 South Carolina; based in New York and LA), Rashawn Griffin (b.1980 LA; based in New York), Adler Guerrier (b.1975 Haiti; based in Miami), MK Guth (b.1963 Wisconsin; based in Oregon), Fritz Haeg (b.1969 Minnesota; based in LA), Rachel Harrison (b.1966 New York; based in New York), Ellen Harvey (b.1967 Kent, England; based in New York), Mary Heilmann (b.1940 San Francisco; based in New York), Leslie Hewitt (b.1977 New York; based in New York and Houston), Patrick Hill (b.1972 Michigan; based in LA), William E. Jones (b.1962 Ohio; based in LA), Karen Kilimnik (b.1955 Philadelphia; based in Philadelphia), Alice Könitz (b.1970 Essen, Germany; based in LA), Louise Lawler (b.1947 New York; based in New York), Spike Lee (b.1957 Atlanta; based in New York), Sherrie Levine (b.1947 Pennsylvania; based in Santa Fe and New York), Charles Long (b.1958 New Jersey; based in LA), Lucky Dragons (Luke Fischbeck, b.1978 San Francisco; based in LA), Daniel Joseph Martinez (b.1957 LA; based in LA), Corey McCorkle (1969 Wisconsin; based in New York), Rodney McMillian (b.1969 South Carolina; based in LA), Julia Meltzer and David Thorne (b.1968 Hollywood and 1960 Boston; based in LA), Jennifer Montgomery (b.1961 New York; based in Chicago), Olivier Mosset (b.1944 Bern; based in Tucson, Arizona), Matt Mullican (b.Santa Monica; based in New York), Neighborhood Public Radio (NPR) (formed 2004 in Oakland; based in Oakland, San Diego, and Chicago), Ruben Ochoa (b.1974 California; based in LA), DJ Olive (b.1961 Boston; based in New York), Mitzi Pederson (b.1976 Florida; based in San Francisco), Kembra Pfahler/The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (b.1961 California; based in New York), Seth Price (b.1973 East Jerusalem; based in New York), Stephen Prina (b.1954 Illinois; based in Mass and LA), Adam Putnam (b.1973 New York; based in New York), Michael Queenland (b.1970 California; based in New York), Jason Rhoades (b.1965 California; d.2006, LA), Ry Rocklen (b.1978 LA; based in LA), Bert Rodriguez (b.1975 Miami; based in Miami), Marina Rosenfeld (b.1968 New York; based in New York), Amanda Ross-Ho (b.1975 Chicago; based in LA), Mika Rottenberg (1976 Buenos Aires; based in New York), Heather Rowe (b.1970 in Connecticut; based in New York), Eduardo Sarabia (b.1976 LA; based in LA, Mexico, and Berlin), Melanie Schiff (b.1977 Chicago; based in Chicago), Amie Siegel (b.1974 Chicago; based in New York and Berlin), Lisa Sigal (b.1962 Philadelphia; based in New York), Gretchen Skogerson (b.1970 New Jersey; based in New York), Michael Smith (b.1951 Chicago; based in New York and Austin, Texas), Agathe Snow (b.1976 Corsica; based in New York), Frances Stark (b.1967 California; based in LA), Mika Tajima/New Humans (Mika Tajima, b.1975 and Howie Chen, b.1976; based in New York), Javier Téllez (b.1969 Venezuela; based in New York), Cheyney Thompson (b.1975 Louisiana; based in New York), Mungo Thomson (b.1969 California; based in Berlin and LA), Leslie Thornton (b.1951 Tennessee; based in New York), Phoebe Washburn (b.1973 Poughkeepsie, New York; based in New York), James Welling (b. 1951 Connecticut; based in LA), Mario Ybarra Jr. (b.1973 LA; based in LA).