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ART witha MESSAGE
LIBiennial’s‘BodyPolitic’embracesworksaffectinganddepictingallAmericans
BYMARYGREGORY SpecialtoNewsday
ArtistHwaYoungCarusoof EastMeadowhashada distinguishedcareerinher field.She’sholdsaPhDfrom ColumbiaUniversity,has exhibitedherworkinternationallyand hasbeenaprofessorofartatMolloy UniversityinRockvilleCentreforthe pasttwodecades.Butthisyearmarks thefirsttimesheappliedforentryto theLongIslandBiennialatThe HeckscherMuseumofArtinHuntington,whichrunsthroughJan.19,andfor thefirsttimehasatheme,“TheBody Politic.”
“Politicaldialogueandpoliticaldebateabouttheworld’sissuesandAmericans’issues,”Carusosaid,“arevery educationalandveryhealthyforthe democraticprocess.”Whenshewas growingupinSouthKorea,shenoted, “Myfamily,andfriends,teachersand professorscouldnotopenlydiscussor criticizethegovernment.”
Caruso’slinocut“Belonging”depicts twomapsoftheUnitedStatesonthe leftandamapofherhomeland,South Korea,ontheright.Downthecenter aretheoutlinesofthreeinfants,representinginnocence,potentialandhope. It’sallabout,shesaid,“howtofitinto thecomplexAmericansocialandculturalfabric.”
Herswasoneof762entriesfrom313 artistsfortheeighthannualBiennial. JurorsIanAlteveer,whochairsthe departmentofcontemporaryartatthe MuseumofFineArts,Boston;Patricia Cronin,asculptorandprofessorat BrooklynCollegeandartisticdirector oftheLGBTQ+VRMuseum;andGrace Hong,assistantdirectorofNewYork’s GalerieLelong&Co.,chose60artists. Theypresentanexhibitionasvaried andthought-provokingastheissuesof thedayandthepopulationofLong Island.
MeredithA.Brown,a consultingcuratorat TheHeckscher Museum,selectedthe jurorsandsaysshe was“surprisedbythe qualityofthework.”
ARTISTSWITHSOMETHINGTOSAY
Visitorswillfindpaintings,drawings, prints,photographsandsculpturesthat addressenvironmentalconcerns,immigration,politics,gender,race,health, wealthandjusticeinwaysthatare direct,suggestedormysterious.That’s wheretheartists’carefullywrought statementsandthecuratorialacumen oftheHeckscher’sconsultingcurator ofcontemporaryart,MeredithA. Brown,comein.
WhileBrownwasn’tpartoftheselectioncommittee,shedidselectthe
jurors.“Ihadalittlethumbonthescale intermsofchoices,”shesaid,adding,“I wassurprisedbythequalityofthe workandthelevelofartists.Thejurors hadareallyhardtimenarrowingit down.”Theshowfillseverygallery withtheworkofprofessionalandamateurartists,andallhavesomethingto say.
Inthepainting“OrdinaryLivesMatter,”HeroldAlexisofMedfordbrings thepoliticalitselfintoquestionby
statinghisapoliticalstance.Andrea BaatzfromBohemiadepictedfishin “SchoolingPatterns:Discontinuity,” questioningtheindependenceofnature whenhumanactivityintervenes. Ratherthanaclassicalstilllife,Northport’sAlisaM.Sheapaintedempty yellowpillbottles,andBabylonartist MariaSpector’spaintingstransform classicalcompositionswithbright candywrappersandslyfeministreferencestoarthistory.
“Theroleofallcontemporaryartistsis oneofobservingourworldandreflecting itbackinsomeway,”saidBrown.“So,it’s averybroadthemeandyoucouldcome atitfromanynumberofdirections.”
ValleyStreamportraitistKaileeS. Finn’spastelandchalkdrawing“Our Scarecrow”usesmetaphorandsymbols tocounteractperceptionsofpredestinationwithhope.BothRobertV.Guidoof HalesiteandBellport’sJeremyGrand sharethoughtsonhomelessnessand
“PinkShoes,”bySusanKozodoyof Lynbrook,ispartoftheBiennial.
“VenusAmongstHerTreasures”isa workbyLoriHorowitzofDixHills.
TheLongIslandBiennialfeaturesworkfrom60artists,chosenfrom313entrants.
WHAT “TheBodyPolitic:Long IslandBiennial2024” WHEN|WHERE ThroughJan.19; 12-5p.m.Thursday-Sunday;The HeckscherMuseumofArt,2Prime Ave.,Huntington INFO Free;631-380-3230, heckscher.org
communityintheirworks,andNeil Leinwohl’smazelikemonochromatic imagesconjureaconfusingRube Goldbergmachine.“Myartisabout theriseofauthoritarianismandstupidity,”theRockvilleCentreartiststated.
SPEAKINGINDIFFERENTWAYS
Whiledesigningtheexhibition, Brownlookedforwaystomakethe workssaymoreinconversationthan theywouldalone.“KelynnAlder’s
works,whicharelargeandbright andverystriking,”sheexplained, “arehangingnexttoFernando Carpaneda’ssmallpaintings,which aretheseincrediblyphotorealistic works.Thelevelisastonishing.Both artistsareaddressingissuesofMexicanandAmericancultureandthe border.Theyhavesimilarthemes goingon,butthey’reapproaching theminverydifferentways.”
Alder,aMexicanAmericanartist, curatorandateacheratManhattan’s SchoolofVisualArts,depictsancientritesandritualsthatarepracticedtothisdayinsmallvillageslike Chamula,Mexico.Shesaidherwork isnotmeanttobepolitical.“Howis itpoliticaltoembraceanotherculture?”sheasked,adding,“Ithinkit’s helpfulforpeopletoseeothersas justpeople.Maybethatbringsus hopefullyalittleclosertogether.”