Whitney Names 56 Artists For 2026 Biennial That Promises Not to Simplify ‘Strangeness of Our Times’

The Whitney Biennial has named 56 artists for its 82nd edition, slated to open on March 8 next year. Curated by Marcela Guerrero, the Whitney’s DeMartini Family Curator, and Drew Sawyer, the Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, the show will examine “various forms of relationality, including interspecies kinships, familial relations, geopolitical entanglements, technological affinities, shared mythologies, and infrastructural supports,” per the Whitney’s website.

Among the chosen artists are Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, an artist duo of Palestinian descent, Kamrooz Aram (Iran/US), Joshua Citarella (US), Sung Tieu (Vietnam/Germany), and many more.

In an interview with the New York Times, Sawyer said that he and Guerrero spent a year visiting over 300 artist studios around the world to put the list together.

“There will be new discoveries, even for art-world insiders,” Sawyer said. He added that several of the artists have not frequently been shown in New York.

Guerrero said the biennial—which is the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the US—will interrogate themes such as kinship and infrastructure to try and shed light on how artists connect with the world, but also sometimes reject it. The event will also question the US’s role in global affairs.

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