Which Spring Art Shows Are Mandatory Viewing?
We’re in the equivalent of a leap year in the art world, with two major recurring exhibitions both launching this spring.
In New York, the Whitney Biennial kicks off May 17 and runs through September 22. A survey of contemporary art in America, it’s a buzzy look at the biggest topics occupying the minds of the country’s brightest creatives. Given the current climate, we’d expect no shortage of statements about politics, identity, and capitalism. The show has a reputation for launching the careers of many young talents, so it’s also a good opportunity to learn the names you’re about to be hearing everywhere.
Meanwhile, further afield, the 58th edition of the Venice Biennale’s art exhibition, this year entitled May You Live in Interesting Times, runs May 11 through November 24. Spread across pavilions, each operated by a different country and playing host to work by an artist that reflects that nation, it’s essentially a way to travel around the world in 80 installations. The Canadian pavilion will be filled with work by the collective Isuma, which makes videos documenting the Inuit experience.
