The press release from the Whitney Museum arrived two days ago, on Friday morning December 11, 2009, so this information is already a bit old hat. But for those just returning from distant lands, the list for the next Biennial comprises 55 artists, making it one of the smallest in recent memory. By comparison, there were 100 participants in 2006 and 81 in 2008, although that last effort annexed the additional vast space of the Park Avenue Armory.

The pundits have rushed in to label this the Recessional Biennial, but any conscious need to downsize is possibly also based on the Whitney husbanding its resources for the projected expansion to their new downtown branch near the southern terminus of The High Line, with construction scheduled to begin next year. A less sprawling, more pristine and manicured show is just about guaranteed, which seems to reflect the general curatorial preferences of Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari, with each participating artist being allowed just one piece. Less work, fewer mini-retrospectives, greater consideration given to each inclusion, simpler logistics: all givens. And a cursory examination of the list promises more painting than in 2008. Then again, it could hardly have been less.

To showcase the Whitney as a fun place which still honors the spatial genius of Marcel Breuer, they released a video of the two curators declaiming the 2010 list from various museum floors, galleries, atria and elevators, framed in one shots, two shots, shot/countershots, swish pans, and seemingly every other showy, self conscious cinematic device that could be added without interrupting the determined flow of their dual deadpan delivery.

In the two days since this list went public, many in the art world decided to stand up and be counted. Numerous galleries sent out emails announcing the selection of their artists. And since the 2010 list is the first with a slim female majority, 52/48% in their favor (as opposed to the last Biennial, which had 40% women, and previous outings with much less female participation), gender politics has once again taken the spotlight. A well known NY based critic, whose continuing crusade for sexual parity in museum shows, gallery rosters, and art collections has been tireless verging on tiresome, wasted no time in going online to announce this watershed historical moment.

Not to rain on his parade, but an art collective recently discussed on these pages, the pesky Bruce High Quality Foundation, was probably deemed a single male entity for statistical purposes. But should each of the Bruces be listed separately, the ratio would fatefully tip right back to the patriarchy.

Ratios ultimately tell us little. In the art world its every (wo)man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, February is closer than you think. Here's the full text of the press release:

ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR WHITNEY BIENNIAL, 2010

NEW YORK, December 11, 2009–The Whitney Museum of American Art today announced the list of artists participating in the upcoming Whitney Biennial, 2010, which takes over the Museum from February 25 through May 30, 2010. This is the 75th in the ongoing series of Biennials and Annuals presented by the Whitney since 1932, two years after the Museum was founded.

The fifty-five artists were selected by curator Francesco Bonami and associate curator Gary Carrion-Murayari. (A video by Pierce Jackson features the curators, seen in various locations throughout the Museum, reading out the names of the artists. Please visit whitney.org to view the video.)

Curators Bonami and Carrion-Murayari noted, “The Whitney Biennial continues to reflect the way in which art is shaped by the particular historical moment in which it was created. The artists selected for this year’s exhibition reflect diverse responses to the anxiety and optimism of the past two years. 2010 does not privilege any one medium or aesthetic style, but rather assembles a wide range of individual gestures, personal histories, and improvised encounters that speak to a sense of openness and community.”

The Biennial is the Whitney’s panoramic signature survey of the latest in American art. It includes a blend of well established artists together with a predominance of emerging artists from all over the country. Their works range from film and video to photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, performance, and architecture. Performances and events will take place at the Museum throughout the course of the show. This year the events and performances are concentrated on Friday evenings in both the Lobby Gallery and Lower Gallery. A 2010 Biennial artist, Martin Kersels, is creating a sculptural installation in the Lobby Gallery that also functions as a stage for curatorial programs involving artists, writers, musicians, choreographers, and DJs.
The Artists of the Whitney Biennial, 2010

David Adamo
Born 1979 in Rochester, New York;
lives in Berlin, Germany

Richard Aldrich
Born 1975 in Hampton, Virginia;
lives in Brooklyn, New York

Michael Asher
Born 1943 in Los Angeles, California;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Tauba Auerbach
Born 1981 in San Francisco, California;
lives in New York, New York
www.taubaauerbach.com

Nina Berman
Born 1960 in New York, New York;
lives in New York, New York
www.ninaberman.com

Huma Bhabha
Born 1962 in Karachi, Pakistan;
lives in Poughkeepsie, New York

Josh Brand
Born 1980 in Elkhorn, Wisconsin;
lives in Brooklyn, New York

The Bruce High Quality Foundation
Founded 2001 in Brooklyn, New York
www.thebrucehighqualityfoundation.com
and http://bhqfu.org

James Casebere
Born 1953 in East Lansing, Michigan;
lives in Brooklyn, New York
www.jamescasebere.net

Edgar Cleijne and Ellen Gallagher
Born 1963 in Eindovern, The Netherlands/
Born 1965 in Providence, Rhode Island

Dawn Clements
Born 1958 in Woburn, Massachusetts;
lives in Brooklyn, New York

George Condo
Born 1957 in Concord, New Hampshire;
lives in New York, New York

Sarah Crowner
Born 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
lives in Brooklyn, New York

Verne Dawson
Born 1961 in Meridianville, Alabama;
lives in Saluda, North Carolina, and
New York, New York

Julia Fish
Born 1950 in Toledo, Oregon;
lives in Chicago, Illinois
www.juliafish.com

Roland Flexner
Born 1944 in Nice, France;
lives in New York, New York
www.rolandflexner.com

Suzan Frecon
Born 1941 in Mexico, Pennsylvania;
lives in New York, New York

Maureen Gallace
Born 1960 in Stamford, Connecticut;
lives in New York, New York

Theaster Gates
Born 1973 in Chicago, Illinois; lives in
Chicago, Illinois
www.theastergates.com/home.html

Kate Gilmore
Born 1975 in Washington, DC;
lives in New York, New York
www.kategilmore.com

Hannah Greely
Born 1979 in Los Angeles, California;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Jesse Aron Green
Born 1979 in Boston, Massachusetts;
lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and
Los Angeles, California
www.jessearongreen.com

Robert Grosvenor
Born 1937 in New York, New York;
lives in Long Island, New York

Sharon Hayes
Born 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland;
lives in New York, New York
www.shaze.info

Thomas Houseago
Born 1972, Leeds, England;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Alex Hubbard
Born 1975 in Toledo, Oregon;
lives in Brooklyn, New York

Jessica Jackson Hutchins
Born 1971 in Chicago, Illinois;
lives in Portland, Oregon

Jeffrey Inaba
Born 1962 in Los Angeles, California;
lives in New York, New York
www.inabaprojects.com

Martin Kersels
Born 1960 in Sierra Madre, California;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Jim Lutes
Born 1955 in Fort Lewis, Washington;
lives in Chicago, Illinois

Babette Mangolte
Born 1941 in Montmorot (Jura), France;
lives in New York, New York
www.babettemangolte.com

Curtis Mann
Born 1979 in Dayton, Ohio;
lives in Chicago, Illinois
www.curtismann.com

Ari Marcopoulos
Born 1957 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
lives in Sonoma, California
www.exfed.blogspot.com

Daniel McDonald
Born 1971 in Los Angeles, California;
lives in New York, New York

Josephine Meckseper
Born 1964 in Lilienthal, Germany;
lives in New York, New York

Rashaad Newsome
Born 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana;
lives in New York, New York
www.rashaadnewsome.com

Kelly Nipper
Born 1971 in Edina, Minnesota;
lives in Los Angeles, California
www.kellynipper.net

Lorraine O’Grady
Born 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts;
lives in New York, New York
www.lorraineogrady.com

R.H. Quaytman
Born 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts;
lives in New York, New York

Charles Ray
Born 1953 in Chicago, Illinois;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Emily Roysdon
Born 1977 in Easton, Maryland;
lives in New York, New York, and
Stockholm, Sweden
www.emilyroysdon.com

Aki Sasamoto
Born 1980 in Yokohama, Japan;
lives in Brooklyn, New York
www.culturepush.org

Aurel Schmidt
Born 1982 in Kamloops, British Columbia;
lives in New York, New York

Scott Short
Born 1964 in Marion, Ohio;
lives in Chicago, Illinois

Stephanie Sinclair
Born 1973 in Miami, Florida;
lives in Brooklyn, New York
www.stephaniesinclair.com

Ania Soliman
Born 1970 in Warsaw, Poland;
lives in Basel, Switzerland, and
New York, New York

Storm Tharp
Born 1970 in Ontario, Oregon;
lives in Portland, Oregon

Tam Tran
Born 1986 in Hue, Vietnam;
lives in Memphis, Tennessee

Kerry Tribe
Born 1973 in Boston, Massachusetts;
lives in Los Angeles, California, and Berlin,
Germany
www.kerrytribe.com

Piotr Uklanski
Born 1968 in Warsaw, Poland;
lives in New York, New York,
and Warsaw, Poland

Lesley Vance
Born 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Marianne Vitale
Born 1973 in New York, New York;
lives in New York, New York
www.mariannevitale.com

Erika Vogt
Born 1973 in East Newark, New Jersey;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Pae White
Born 1963 in Pasadena, California;
lives in Los Angeles, California

Robert Williams
Born 1943 in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
lives in Chatsworth, California
www.robtwilliamsstudio.com

Eleven of the artists have shown in past Whitney Biennials: James Casebere and George Condo in the 1980s, Suzan Frecon in 2000, Hannah Greely in 2006, Robert Grosvenor in the 1960s and 70s, Martin Kersels in 1997, Jim Lutes in 1987, Ari Marcopoulos in 2002, Josephine Meckseper in 2006, Charles Ray several times in the 1980s and 90s; Ray, who also had a solo retrospective at the Whitney in 1998, makes a departure from his previous work with his installation in 2010. Ellen Gallagher had a Whitney solo show, DeLuxe, a series of works on paper, in 2005, and was in the 1995 Biennial; this time she is partnering with the Dutch artist Edgar Cleijne on a film installation that includes sculptural construction and silk-screened panels. Michael Asher, well known as a West Coast pioneer of conceptual art, was in the Whitney’s seminal Anti-Illusion show in 1969.

Piotr Uklanski had a solo show at the Whitney, in 2007, presenting his first film, Summer Love (a booze and blood-soaked revisionist Western); Uklanski’s work in 2010 is a theatrical installation involving textiles. Kerry Tribe, a graduate of the Whitney’s Independent Study Program in 1998, was featured in the Whitney’s group exhibition Down by Law (2006); her Biennial work is a film installation using historic and invented storylines dealing with memory and brain function. Verne Dawson, represented in the Biennial with a large-scale figurative painting, was also shown at the Whitney in Down by Law. Babette Mangolte, well known as a filmmaker and as the cinematographer on a number of key films by Yvonne Rainer and Chantal Akerman (including Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles), was included in the Whitney exhibition The American Century; her Biennial contribution is a mixed media installation involving photography and a video that recreates an earlier installation from 1978.

Nina Berman is a photojournalist and author of the book Purple Hearts: Back from Iraq (Trolley, 2004), a collection of portraits and interviews with twenty veterans of the Iraq War; a member of the photo collective NOOR, based in Amsterdam, Berman’s works in the Biennial are photographs depicting the life of a returning veteran. Sarah Crowner, a painter who works with the legacy of hard-edged geometric abstraction from the 1950s and 60s, employs both original and appropriated compositions as patterns and templates to construct her paintings. Roland Flexner’s contribution to 2010 is thirty small-scale Sumi ink drawings.

Maureen Gallace creates compositions depicting the vernacular architecture and landscape of rural New England, reminiscent of images of small-town America by Edward Hopper and Fairfield Porter; her work was the subject of Focus: Maureen Gallace at The Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. Jessica Jackson Hutchins’s work in the Biennial is in the form of sculpture, including ceramics, found furniture, collage, and newspaper. Jeffery Inaba, director of C-Lab, an architecture, policy, and communications think tank at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, is creating an architectural intervention for the Biennial.

Rashaad Newsome, an artist from New Orleans, makes videos involving dancers and dealing with African-American cultural markers. Lorraine O’Grady is an artist and critic whose installations, performances, and texts address issues of diaspora, hybridity, and female subjectivity; her Biennial work is an installation of photographs and photo-collage that deals with issues of appropriation and cultural identity. R.H. Quaytman’s contribution to the Biennial is a multiple-painting installation dealing with architecture and the history of the Whitney itself.

Aki Sasamoto, a young Japanese-born artist who lives in Brooklyn, is creating an installation that will include large and small sculptures, sound, and a series of performances that will take place throughout the run of the Biennial. Tam Tran, a Vietnam-born artist who lives and works in Memphis, is showing photographs dealing with ideas of childhood and self-discovery. Pae White, who works in sculpture and installation, often using cardboard cut-outs, delicate wire constructions, suspended mobiles, or evocative wall paintings, had a solo exhibition at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, in 2004; her work in the Biennial is a large “smoke” tapestry.