WHITNEY BIENNIAL 2024: EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

The 81^st Whitney Biennial is like being inside a “dissonant chorus," as participating artist Ligia Lewis described it, a provocative yet intimate experience of distinct and disparate voices that collectively probe the cracks and fissures of the unfolding moment.

The exhibition’s subtitle, Even Better Than the Real Thing, acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is complicating the understanding of what is real, and rhetoric around gender and authenticity is being used politically and legally to perpetuate transphobia and restrict bodily autonomy. These developments are part of a long history of deeming people of marginalized race, gender, and ability as subhuman—less than real. In making this exhibition, the curatorial team is committed to amplifying the voices of artists who are confronting these legacies, and to providing a space where difficult ideas can be engaged and considered.

This Biennial is a gathering of artists who explore the permeability of the relationships between mind and body, the fluidity of identity, and the growing precariousness of the natural and constructed worlds around us. Whether through subversive humor, expressive abstraction, or non-Western forms of cosmological thinking, to name but a few of their methods, these artists demonstrate that there are pathways to be found, strategies of coping and healing to be discovered, and ways to come together even in a fractured time.

The 2024 Whitney Biennial is organized by Chrissie Iles, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator and Meg Onli, Curator at Large, with Min Sun Jeon and Beatriz Cifuentes. The performance program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curator Taja Cheek. The film program is organized by Iles and Onli, with guest curators Korakrit Arunanondchai, asinnajaq, Greg de Cuir Jr, and Zackary Drucker.

Participating artists

Siku Allooloo (she/her) was born in 1986 in Yellowknife, Canada, and lives in Bowser, Canada. Holland Andrews (they/them) was born in 1988 in Orange, California, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio (he/him) was born in 1990 in Los Angeles, California, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Dora Budor was born in 1984 in Zagreb, Croatia, and lives in New York, New York. Seba Calfuqueo (she/her/they/them) was born in 1991 in Santiago, Chile, and lives in Ngulumapu, Wallmapu (Chile). Debit (she/her) was born in 1986 in Monterrey, Mexico, and lives in New York, New York. Demian DinéYazhi' (they/them) was born in 1983 in Gallup, New Mexico (Diné Bikéyah [Navajo Nation]), and lives in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere. Torkwase Dyson (she/her) was born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, and lives in Beacon, New York. JJJJJerome Ellis (any/all) was born in 1989 in Groton, Connecticut, and lives in Norfolk, Virginia. Jes Fan (he/him/they/them) was born in 1990 in Scarborough, Canada, and lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Hong Kong. Nikita Gale was born in 1983 in Anchorage, Alaska, Dënéndeh and Dena’ina Ełnena, and lives in Los Angeles, California. ektor garcia was born in 1985 in Red Bluff, California, and lives in Mexico City, Mexico, and elsewhere. Pippa Garner (she/her) was born in 1942 in Evanston, Illinois, and lives in Long Beach, California. Harmony Hammond (she/her) was born in 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, and lives in Galisteo, New Mexico. Christopher Harris (he/him) was born in 1962 in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in Coralville, Iowa. Sharon Hayes (she/her) was born in 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland, and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Miranda Haymon was born in 1993 in Boston, Massachusetts, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Sarah Hennies (she/her) was born in 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky, and lives in Red Hook, New York. Holly Herndon (she/her) was born in 1980 in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Mat Dryhurst (he/him) was born in 1984 in Birmingham, UK; they both live in Berlin, Germany. Ho Tzu Nyen (he/him) was born in 1976 in Singapore and lives in Singapore. Yasmine Anlan Huang (she/her) was born in 1996 in Guangzhou, China, and lives in London, UK, and New York, New York. Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (she/her) was born in 1987 in New York, New York, and lives in New York, New York. Suzanne Jackson (she/her) was born in 1944 in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in Savannah, Georgia. Isaac Julien was born in 1960 in London, UK, and lives in London, UK, and Santa Cruz, California. Lotus L. Kang (she/her) was born in 1985 in Toronto, Canada, and lives in New York, New York. Aron Kantor (he/him/they/them) was born in 1978 in San Francisco, California, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Mary Kelly (she/her) was born in 1941 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and lives in New York, New York. Kite (she/her) was born in 1990 in Sylmar, California, and lives in Ancram, New York. Gbenga Komolafe (they/them/he/him/she/her) was born in 2000 in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, and Tee Park (she/her) was born in 1999 in Seoul, South Korea; they both live in Los Angeles, California. Jenni Laiti (she/her) was born in 1981 in Anár, Sápmi (Inari, Finland), and lives in Jåhkåmåhkke, Sápmi (Jokkmokk, Sweden). Carolyn Lazard (they/them) was born in 1987 in San Bernardino, California, and lives in New York, New York. Dionne Lee was born in 1988 in New York, New York, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Ligia Lewis (she/her) was born in 1983 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and lives in Berlin, Germany. Shuang Li (she/her) was born in 1990 in the Wuyi Mountains, China, and lives in Berlin, Germany, and Geneva, Switzerland. Simon Liu (he/him) was born in 1987 in Hong Kong, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Mary Lovelace O'Neal (she/her) was born in 1942 in Jackson, Mississippi, and lives in Oakland, California, and Merida, Mexico. Cannupa Hanska Luger (he/him) was born in 1979 in Fort Yates, North Dakota (Standing Rock Reservation), and lives in Glorieta, New Mexico. Nyala Moon (she/her) was born in 1992 in New York, New York, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. K.R.M. Mooney (he/him) was born in 1990 in Seattle, Washington, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Dala Nasser was born in 1990 in Tyre, Lebanon, and lives in Beirut, Lebanon, and London, UK. Diane Severin Nguyen (she/her) was born in 1990 in Carson, California, and lives in New York, New York. Niillasaš-Jovnna Máreha Juhani Sunná Máret–Sunna Nousuniemi (they/them) was born in 1993 in Anár, Sápmi, and lives in Anár, Sápmi. Karyn Olivier (she/her) was born in 1968 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. B. Ingrid Olson was born in 1987 in Denver, Colorado, and lives in Chicago, Illinois. Eamon Ore-Giron (he/him) was born in 1973 in Tucson, Arizona, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Edward Owens (he/him) was born in 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, and died in 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Sydney Frances Pascal (she/her) was born in 1993 in Nanaimo, Canada, and lives in Vancouver, Canada. People Who Stutter Create was founded in 2023 by Jia Bin, Delicia Daniels, JJJJJerome Ellis, Conor Foran, and Kristel Kubart. Julia Phillips (she/her) was born in 1985 in Hamburg, Germany, and lives in Chicago, Illinois. Mavis Pusey (she/her) was born in 1928 in Retreat, Jamaica, and died in 2019 in Falmouth, Virginia. Raqs Media Collective was founded in 1992 in Delhi, India by Jeebesh Bachi, Monica Narula, and Shuddhabrata Sengupta. Riar Rizaldi (he/him) was born in 1990 in Bandung, Indonesia, and lives in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Maja Ruznic (she/her) was born in 1983 in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Yugoslavia), and lives in Placitas, New Mexico. Ser Serpas (she/her) was born in 1995 in East Los Angeles, California, and lives in New York, New York. Rose B. Simpson (she/her) was born in 1983 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lives in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. Penelope Spheeris (she/her) was born in 1945 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and lives in Los Angeles, California. P. Staff (they/them) was born in 1987 in the UK, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Lada Suomenrinne (they/them) was born in 1995 in Murmansk, Russia, and lives in Espoo, Finland, and Njuorggán, Sápmi. Alex Tatarsky (they/them) was born in 1989 in New York, New York, and lives in New York, NY, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alisi Telengut (she/her) was born in 1989 in Inner Mongolia (Telengut and Mongolian nations), and lives in Berlin, Germany, and Tiohtià/Montreal, Canada. Clarissa Tossin (she/her) was born in 1973 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Tourmaline (she/her) was born in 1983 in Boston, Massachusetts, and lives in New York, New York. Chanelle Tyson (they/them) was born in 1989 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Zulaa Urchuud (she/her) was born in 1991 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and lives in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Charisse Pearlina Weston (she/her) was born in 1988 in Houston, Texas, and lives in New York, New York. Kiyan Williams (they/them) was born in 1991 in Newark, New Jersey, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Carmen Winant (she/her) was born in 1983 in San Francisco, California, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Takako Yamaguchi (she/her) was born in 1952 in Okayama, Japan, and lives in Santa Monica, California. Constantina Zavitsanos (any/all) was born in 1977 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and lives in New York, New York.