Whitney Biennial Shifts from Identity to Infrastructure

The 1993 Whitney Biennial was famously dubbed the "identity politics" biennial for its direct engagement with multiculturalism, AIDS, and racism, setting a precedent for decades of exhibitions focused on social and political identity. The 2019 edition, co-curated by Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta, was the most diverse in the museum's history, with half of the artists identifying as women and about 40 percent being Black. For the 2026 edition, the Whitney has appointed in-house curators Marcela Guerrero, the DeMartini Family Curator, and Drew Sawyer, the Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography. This marks the fourth consecutive biennial to be led by internal curatorial staff and the first time both curators were partly trained at the same institution, the University of Wisconsin. The curators aim to explore relational forms, including interspecies kinships, geopolitical entanglements, and technological affinities. This thematic framework moves away from explicit identity to examine the underlying systems and shared mythologies that shape contemporary life. The focus on infrastructure is reflected in the work of artist Andrea Fraser, who has a long history of institutional critique, examining the social, financial, and affective economies of museums and the art world. Her mother, Carmen de Monteflores, who explores exile, sexuality, and intimacy in her work, is the oldest artist in the exhibition. Artist David L. Johnson's practice directly engages with the built environment by documenting and intervening in urban spaces. His work often involves removing "hostile architecture," like spikes from public seating areas, to question the politics of public and private property. The theme also encompasses personal support systems, as seen in the work of Emilie Gossiaux, a blind multidisciplinary artist. Her drawings and sculptures explore themes of interdependence, disability joy, and the interspecies kinship with her guide dog, London.