Whitney Biennial

You're running out of time to see the Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum (945 Madison Avenue at 75th St). This bi-annual exhibition of modern art captures a wide range of media and styles. The works elicit reactions ranging from "Wow!" to "Huh?" Whatever you may think of particular works, the range is extraordinary. It's best experienced if you allow the art to assault your senses directly, and ignore the curators' attempts to explain what you're seeing. Otherwise, you're likely to be distracted by mumbo-jumbo such as the following (copied from the website):

While the Biennial represents the work of individual visions, it is also more than that. Given that the curators themselves come from somewhat different generations, it is not surprising that the leitmotif of this Biennial is intergenerational dialogue, a conversation that is based on distinct commonalities and threads of influence extending in both directions--from older to younger artists, and vice versa. In addition, the curators have proposed certain affinities shared by subgroups among these artists, and although the exhibition does not have a thematic structure per se, it has an inner coherence. Upon discovering links between such diverse artists, the curators in effect cried "Eureka!" realizing that distillation is as much about discovery as it is about invention.

That certainly clears it all up. Why not just enjoy the art instead! The exhibition officially closes today (May 30th), but signs at the Whitney indicated several of the galleries are being extended another couple of weeks.