Whitney Biennial...

Kathy Callahan and I met up for some coffee and a trip to the Whitney to see the Biennial. I had imagined that it'd be busier, as it was the pay what you wish night, but was surprised how empty it was. This feeling would carry through throughout the evening. Don't get me wrong, there were really interesting pieces like the Phoebe Washburn installation, but for the most part I was left with the sense that things were incomplete, in transit, unfinished, and not thoroughly thought through. In my opinion, if something is not highly intellectual and thought-provoking, it should at least look good and give a gee-whiz saccharine satisfaction. I guess I expect a lot from survey shows that are supposed to culminate the gestalt of contemporary art. Many of the pieces on display seemed to be evidence of Art or shadows of ideas not yet fully realized.