{"id":77669,"date":"2019-06-13T16:31:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T16:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=77669"},"modified":"2019-06-13T16:41:14","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T16:41:14","slug":"whitney-biennial-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"The age of influence: Whitney Biennial artists on what influence means to them"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":77702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,139],"tags":[7173,10341,1375,1935,946,13204,11094,13045,124,1116,154,4325,13205,1784,12957,42,7144],"class_list":["post-77669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-art","tag-american-art","tag-archive","tag-contemporary-art","tag-curation","tag-installation","tag-jane-panetta","tag-john-edmonds","tag-meriem-bennani","tag-new-york","tag-paul-mpagi-sepuya","tag-photography","tag-politics","tag-rujecko-hockley","tag-selfie","tag-sleek-62","tag-video","tag-whitney-biennial"],"acf":{"main_category":139,"legacy":false,"exclude_from_ads":[],"hero_title":"","subtitle":" Larissa Pham speaks to John Edmonds, Meriem Bennani and Paul Mpagi Sepuya about how they understand influence to operate in their work and their position to influence others","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":{"ID":77702,"id":77702,"title":"te\u0302te de femme, 2018","filename":"te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","filesize":318062,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 16:10:07","modified":"2019-06-13 16:10:07","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1875,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","thumbnail-width":77,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1875,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1875,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1875,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","1536x1536-width":1229,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1875,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1875}},"width":"6","proportion":"natural"},"facebook_image":{"ID":77703,"id":77703,"title":"te\u0302te de femme, 2018","filename":"te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","filesize":193379,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 16:30:40","modified":"2019-06-13 16:30:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1121,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1121,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1121,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1121,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1121,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1121,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":16,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018-1-e1560443468239.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1121}},"related_articles":"","next_article":[77479],"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77700,"id":77700,"title":"Alexandra Bell","filename":"Alexandra-Bell.jpg","filesize":182761,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/alexandra-bell\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"alexandra-bell","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 16:06:40","modified":"2019-06-13 16:11:33","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1024,"height":745,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":93,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","medium-width":1024,"medium-height":745,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","medium_large-width":1024,"medium_large-height":745,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":745,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":745,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":745,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":16,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Alexandra-Bell.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1024,"wpvr_mobile-height":745}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":"Alexandra Bell, A Teenager With Promise, 2017. Courtesy of the artist. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

In May, the 79th edition of the Whitney Biennial<\/a> \u2014 the New York museum\u2019s major survey of contemporary American art \u2014 opened. Running until 17 September 2019, it\u2019s a show that\u2019s often described as a litmus test or bellwether, a kind of \u2018taking the temperature\u2019 of contemporary art, and as such frequently deals with politics and complex issues of the moment.<\/p>\n

Yet, in the age of rapidly moving social media, and taking place at an institution rather than in a more accessible space like the Internet, the show raises important questions. Is contemporary art still politically influential? And what influence does the biennial format still hold in that territory?<\/p>\n

The 2019 co-curator of the Whitney Biennial Jane Panetta (this year\u2019s iteration is jointly curated by Panetta and Rujecko Hockley) believes so. \u201cIn our research for the Biennial we heard from artists that this does still feel like an important show to them, it feels like an important platform,\u201d she said in a phone interview. The event\u2019s influence derives from its historical lineage and its position against the backdrop of the Whitney\u2019s existing collection, which Panetta describes as frequently socially conscientious and deeply engaged with American history.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\"But there\u2019s an important shift to this year\u2019s show: half the artists identify as women, and a majority are of colour. \"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

In this year\u2019s Biennial, Panetta and Hockley present 75 artists in conversation with each other in a design similar to a collection exhibition. \u201cAs impossible as it is to make something comprehensive, the more we could get different artists in dialogue with one another, the more we could understand the threads we saw. Be it about the vulnerability of the body, racial and gender issues, the handmade, about pushing on digital technology,\u201d Panetta said, adding that these themes weren\u2019t present during the initial search for participants: \u201cWe made a concerted decision to let what we would encounter drive any thematic underpinnings to the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s an important shift to this year\u2019s show: half the artists identify as women, and a majority are of colour. \u201cGiven how many artists are making work at this point, it felt like: Why not present as many new names and new practices as possible?\u201d explained Panetta. It\u2019s this diversity of identities, backgrounds, and practices that gives rise to many themes the show grapples with, including one striking overarching motif: the influence of the archive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw a lot of artists using archival material,\u201d said Panetta. \u201cBe it in video work, in collage, in painting, even in drawing, using found news sources in many instances, which related very directly to strands in American history or in our global history, and retooling it, editing it, modifying it, as if to say, \u2018This is an alternative that we could be now. Or that we could hope for in the future.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In a fast-paced information age that often craves easily digestible content \u2013 the clickbait headline, the viral meme \u2013 this year\u2019s Biennial goes against the current with its selection of slow-to-metabolise yet politically resonant work. \u201cWhat I find often as a curator, is that artists are really important members of our society, of our culture as practitioners who really grapple with difficult issues,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they become a really critical and often productive lens through which we process things we\u2019re dealing with\u2028in the very immediate moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

JOHN EDMONDS<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77699,"id":77699,"title":"Untitled (Head 2), 2018","filename":"Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","filesize":730152,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/untitled-head-2-2018\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"untitled-head-2-2018","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 16:05:20","modified":"2019-06-13 16:05:20","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1869,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","thumbnail-width":77,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1869,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1869,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1869,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","1536x1536-width":1233,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1869,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Untitled-Head-2-2018.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1869}},{"ID":77702,"id":77702,"title":"te\u0302te de femme, 2018","filename":"te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","filesize":318062,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"te%cc%82te-de-femme-2018","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 16:10:07","modified":"2019-06-13 16:10:07","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1875,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","thumbnail-width":77,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1875,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1875,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1875,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","1536x1536-width":1229,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1875,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/te\u0302te-de-femme-2018.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1875}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":"John Edmonds, Untitled (Head 2), 2018 and t\u00eate de femme, 2018. Courtesy of the artist. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

John Edmonds is a photographer whose work navigates gesture, performance, and self-presentation, particularly in young black men and queer communities. He\u2019s conscious of the influence of his position as a lecturer at Yale School of Art and a practicing artist, navigating both roles with a deep sensitivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think now as a professor I take very seriously the influence that I have on my students,\u201d Edmonds said on the phone. \u201cI don\u2019t want to misguide them, and I don\u2019t want to tell them the type of artist that they need to be. My job is to give them the set of tools that they need, to look at their special gifts and talents and try to nurture those gifts and talents to form their own criteria of what they believe is good or bad or worthwhile or interesting within their own practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonds, who turns 30 this year, is excited at being selected for the Whitney Biennial. He\u2019s particularly conscious of its historicity, and the impact of its lineage. \u201cI feel very honoured to be able to enter a larger conversation around contemporary art,\u201d he told me. As well as being part of a generational conversation \u2013 Edmonds is friends and peers with many of the artists in the Biennial \u2013 he\u2019s looking forward to \u201centering into this intergenerational conversation around the black body in images, as in the work of Wangechi Mutu, or queer desire, like the late Barbara Hammer.\u201d His work at the Biennial will interrogate history, while also posing questions about photographic representation and truth.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\"I can\u2019t speak for other artists, but I definitely do feel a sense of responsibility.\"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

As well as being influenced by the work of forebears like Mutu and Hammer, Edmonds spoke about another, surprising influence: travel. \u201cTravel has been an immense part of my life and something that really does inspire me. Paris is a place that\u2019s had a lot of influence on me, and a lot of other Americans, Black Americans specifically, like James Baldwin or Josephine Baker. I\u2019m so moved by that type of desire to flee parts of the world, to go to other parts of the world, to discover other aspects of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about his feelings on the intersection of art, politics, and identity, Edmonds spoke frankly and with emotion. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for other artists, but I definitely do feel a sense of responsibility,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I try to present work out in the world with a type of awareness. As I\u2019ve grown older, I think I\u2019ve felt more empowered to contribute to a conversation or to give some type of visibility to an individual or community or group of people that I see may face a level of ostracism. I feel more empowered now about my own position as an artist. I don\u2019t believe that that means I speak for everyone; I don\u2019t believe that there\u2019s anyone who can speak for everyone. There are so many different types of people; there are so many different types of people within a community. But I think of my objective as a black queer artist, and I don\u2019t take it lightly. I am who I am. And that is a part of my work, inherently.\u201d<\/p>\n

MERIEM BENNANI<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77697,"id":77697,"title":"IMG_4780","filename":"IMG_4780.png","filesize":1073888,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/img_4780\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"img_4780","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 15:58:53","modified":"2019-06-13 15:58:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1142,"height":643,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":72,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","medium-width":1142,"medium-height":643,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","medium_large-width":1142,"medium_large-height":643,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","large-width":1142,"large-height":643,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","1536x1536-width":1142,"1536x1536-height":643,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","2048x2048-width":1142,"2048x2048-height":643,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":10,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4780.png","wpvr_mobile-width":1142,"wpvr_mobile-height":643}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":"Meriem Bennani, Still from Mission Teens: French school in Morocco, 2019, high-definition video. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Artist Meriem Bennani uses a mix of documentary filmmaking and animation to create interactive and playful installations that deal with complex political issues, particularly the colonisation of her home country, Morocco. When we spoke, the 31-year-old was in the midst of editing her new short film for the Biennial, a project about teenagers studying at French schools in Morocco. On her mind was the influence of French colonisation on Moroccan culture today, her work as an artist and journalist within her documentaries, and the impact of reality TV, specifically the mid-Aughts MTV series, Laguna Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was interested in documenting the subculture of French education in Morocco,\u201d said Bennani. \u201cIt is a little bit disconnected from the rest of Morocco, culturally, and there\u2019s also a financial and class aspect that I wanted to capture or think about.\u201d France still has a lot of power over the country, she explained. Though the period of colonial rule is over, the structures remain, and France still retains a cultural connection to, and an influence over Morocco. Because the French schools that were originally established during colonisation still exist today, Bennani saw them as a good entry point to talk about these issues. \u201cTeenagers were an interesting subject to talk [to] about that as well, because they\u2019re at in-between ages, and that felt like a good way to talk about people who are in-between cultures,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Editing this project, Bennani explained, \u201cis a big responsibility.\u201d She continued: \u201cThe challenge is, how do I have interesting things, because obviously the most interesting things are the most complex, most of the time.\u201d As an artist who is inextricably entwined with her subject (Bennani studied at a French school in Morocco, and actively participated while shooting the film) she has had to balance how she portrays the teenagers, as well as her depiction of the schools. \u201cObviously my approach in terms of the French government and the French education system in Morocco and the way it exists is critical,\u201d says the artist. \u201cBut they have also let me in and I\u2019m sure they are a little bit aware of my angle. So it\u2019s like, am I balancing all these things? And the solution is to not have an agenda, of wanting to make a point. Because I\u2019m not making a point with this project, I\u2019m just opening up questions.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\u201cI feel like I think in a pretty isolated way in terms of my influence. I\u2019m focussed on developing this language that every time gets a little more defined every project.\"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

The artist continued: \u201cI think the solution I\u2019m finding is to always have the most nuanced portrait of each kid, as a way of being as ethical as I can.\u201d She\u2019s also been careful to check in with the teenagers throughout her process. Yet as a video editor, she\u2019s aware of the control she has over the story, and is influenced by both traditional cinema, documentary and reality TV, saying, \u201csometimes if you have cinematic references in mind before filming, in the filming you can kind of push situations a little bit to emphasise that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did her selection for the Biennial affect the way she considered her work within an institutional\u2028context? Bennani is vehement in her response. \u201cNo, no, that would be terrible. That would be horrible, I think, a stressful and also very misleading way of making any kind of work.\u201d After a moment, Bennani continued. \u201cI feel like I think in a pretty isolated way in terms of my influence. I\u2019m focussed on developing this language that every time gets a little more defined every project, and I feel like it\u2019s so specific that I don\u2019t know that anyone would care, you know. I look at it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

PAUL MPAGI SEPUYA<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77698,"id":77698,"title":"Derrick Woods-Morrow 20180515_2779 30x50","filename":"Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","filesize":222099,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/derrick-woods-morrow-20180515_2779-30x50\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"derrick-woods-morrow-20180515_2779-30x50","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77669,"date":"2019-06-13 15:59:28","modified":"2019-06-13 15:59:28","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1001,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1001,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1001,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1001,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1001,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1001,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Derrick-Woods-Morrow-20180515_2779-30x50-e1560441581161.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1001}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":"Derrick Woods-Morrow, Untitled, 2018-19. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Paul Mpagi Sepuya\u2019s photographic practice is comprised of self-portraiture, collaboration and collage techniques that confuse the picture plane. For this year\u2019s Biennial, the 37-year-old American organised a group show-within-a-show.<\/p>\n

His studio created a space using a mirror and a piece of black velvet cloth \u2013 two items that frequently recur in Sepuya\u2019s work \u2013 while collaborators photographed each other at the same time. These images explore the relationship between sitter, photographer, and camera, complicating the idea of a singular artist or creator, and celebrating the creative \u2013 and ultimately more enriching \u2013 work of a collective.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe curators\u2019 inclusion of this project I organised \u2013 a group show within the group show \u2013 is what I hope will allow for another conversation to open up around my work,\u201d said Sepuya in an email. \u201cA conversation about participation, collaboration, co-authorship and mutual influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone works in a vacuum, so the work of other artists is bound to enter your own personal practice,\u201d agrees Giancarlo Montes, one of Sepuya\u2019s collaborators. \u201cIn terms of the show and the artists in it, we each use our own visual language, pulling from autonomous and shared toolboxes.\u201d However, as Montes explained, their collaborative work complicates Sepuya\u2019s practice as a singular artist, uncovering themes that overlap within the group.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\u201cI think most cultural influencers aren\u2019t trying to influence culture; they are probably just authentically doing something that gets them off and people take notice.\"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

\u201cI think most cultural influencers aren\u2019t trying to influence culture; they are probably just authentically doing something that gets them off and people take notice,\u201d says Derrick Woods-Morrow, another collaborator. Woods-Morrow spoke to the energy that can be created within a shared practice: \u201cIn my work, I tried to feel Paul\u2019s energy, the collective energy and situate myself inside and outside of that energy.\u201d Being part of a group, Woods-Morrow explained, can help guard you as well as give you space.<\/p>\n

As an organiser and artist, Sepuya sees himself as having a political responsibility. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean the work has to be perfect,\u201d he added. \u201cIt can\u2019t be flawless conceptually, politically, or socially, but we have to be conscious of what we put out into the world. As my work has moved into the public realm I increasingly have to consider what it means for audiences, especially those who have found it influential or in some way moving, to find themselves included or excluded as viewers.\u201d Sepuya sees this as a conversation, a constant dialogue between artist, audience, and other artists: \u201cI\u2019m not interested in one-directional influence. It has to come back to and transform me.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

This article originally appeared in SLEEK 62, out now<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Whitney Biennial<\/a>\u00a0runs through to 22 September at the Whitney Museum of American Art.<\/em><\/p>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\nThe age of influence: Whitney Biennial artists on what influence means to them The age of influence: Whitney Biennial artists on what influence means to them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The age of influence: Whitney Biennial artists on what influence means to them The age of influence: Whitney Biennial artists on what influence means to them\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/whitney-biennial-influence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-13T16:31:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-13T16:41:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Larissa Pham\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. 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