header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


The 78th installment of the 2017 Whitney Biennial opened to the public at the Whitney Museum in New York on Friday. The 63 artists, with a number of CalArtians counted among them, explore themes of self and the individual’s place in a turbulent society.

The Biennial, which is the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States, includes painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, film and video, photography, activism, performance, music and video game design by both established and emerging artists.

Here’s a glimpse into some of the works on view by Chouinard and CalArts alumni:

Larry Bell (Chouinard 59): Pacific Red II is an installation on the fifth-floor terrace that consists of six laminated glass cubes that each enclose another glass box. The work plays with, and responds to, the surrounding area.
Beatriz Cortez (Art MFA 15): Cortez was one of several artists invited by Biennial artist Rafa Esparza to showcase their works. Writes the New York Times: “Mr. Esparza has invited five artists not officially in the Biennial to exhibit their work here, most notably Beatriz Cortez, whose 5-foot-high “Cairn,” assembled from large chunks of volcanic rock, is a fragile balancing act that speaks volumes about the precariousness of life today.”

Postcommodity, still from ‘A Very Long Line,’ 2016. Four-channel digital video, color, sound; looped. Courtesy the artists.

– Raven Chacon (Music MFA): Chacon is one of the artists in the Postcommodity collective whose installation A Very Long Line focuses on the politically charged border wall between Mexico and the U.S.

– Lyle Ashton Harris (Art MFA 90): Once (Now) Again is part of Harris’ larger ongoing project, the Ektachrome Archive, which features slide images shot between 1986-98.

– Tuan Andrew Nguyen (Art MFA Art 04): The New York Times notes that Nguyen’s video, The Island, “an unlikely combination of fact and fantasy, [which] revisits the tiny Malaysian island of Pulau Bidong, which sheltered tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who fled their country in the 1970s and ’80s.”

– Henry Taylor (Art BFA 95): His painting, The Times They Ain’t A Changing, Fast Enough! depicts the fatal shooting of school cafeteria worker Philando Castile by a Minnesota police officer.

– Kaari Upson (Art MFA 07): The artist transforms the “soft, flaccid forms” of damaged couches into powerfully solid sculptures.

– Former faculty member John Divola and Leigh Ledare are also included in the exhibition.

In her New York Times review of the show, Why the Whitney’s Humanist, Pro-Diversity Biennial Is a Revelation, art critic Roberta Smith writes:

The show spotlights 63 artists and collectives working at the intersection of the formal and the social, and in this it announces a new chapter of so-called political art — though one already brewing in small museums, galleries and studios. Many of these artists confront such American realities as income inequality, homelessness, misogyny, immigration, violence, hatred and biases of race, religion and class. But they are equally committed to the artistic exploration of media and materials, and to the creation of bold and strange things to see and think about.

Important messages are conveyed through perception.

At a moment when a new president threatens to wipe out the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, this exhibition makes an exciting, powerful case for art. As seen here, art illuminates the diversity on which this country’s greatness stands and — through its mysterious alchemy of beauty and reality, tragedy and joy — inspires us to think, know our better selves and fight back.

For a closer look at all the works and artists on view through June 11, visit the Whitney Biennial website.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


HIGHER EDUCATION LINKS
LOCAL COLLEGE HEADLINES
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Wednesday, Sep 11, 2024
College of the Canyons is one of only two community colleges in the nation to have been named a 2024 Zero Energy Design Designation recipient by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Wednesday, Sep 11, 2024
Joshua trees are a vital part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. California State University Northridge evolutionary biologist professor Jeremy Yoder is hoping a new exhibition at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History will draw attention to the endangered species.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
CSUN Student Research Journal Celebrates 28 Years of Inspiring Scientific Imagination
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
Take a Virtual Tour of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
The California Highway Patrol is dedicating Sept. 15-21 to promoting child passenger safety across California, focusing on the protection of the state’s youngest road users.
CHP Emphasizes Child Safety for National Child Passenger Safety Week
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, Sept. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17: SUSD Regular Board Meeting
West Ranch High School’s Studio A Jazz Band will be the opening act for the Huntertones, a Brooklyn-based sextet, who are coming to the Santa Clarita Valley for a one-night performance.
Sept 30: West Ranch Jazz Band to Open for Huntertones
An exclusive Ransomeware webinar "Ransomeware, Don't Be the Next Victim!" will be hosted Wednesday, Sept. 25, 11 a.m.- noon by Shield IT Networks, in partnership with Lucas Insurance Services. It will be free for VIA members.
Sept. 25: Free Ransomeware Webinar for VIA Members
As part of the Third Annual Business for Artists Conference on Saturday, Oct. 19, Judith Modrak will lead the Imaginary Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop.
Oct.19: Business for Artists Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 20.
Six Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
1872 - Mitchell adobe home in Soledad Canyon area first used as schoolhouse; genesis of 1879 Sulphur Springs School District [story]
Mitchell adobe
SCVNews.com