The Brucennial 2010 edition – titled “Miseducation” opened this week in New York. The art exhibit features work from a number of artists from around the world, and is, according to its modestly-worded press release, “the most important survey of contemporary art in the world, ever”.
The show is the product of the five-artist collective Bruce High Quality Foundation, focused on reshaping the art world via a more democratic, DIY approach – by placing some of its more visible functions, like education and the organizing of exhibitions, into artists’ hands. The real estate – the space itself – is on loan (we just don’t want to call it a pop-up). The real estate on the walls is limited – when a new painting arrives, others are moved to make room for it. Neither first-come basis nor celebrity will secure an artist a better spot – representatives in the show include new and established artists side by side, with the more recognizable names including Julian Schnabel, among others. The exhibit’s handler is Schabel’s son, Vito Schnabel.
The Bruce High Quality Foundation seems to position the Brucennial as the non-establishment alternative to the Whitney Biennial. The stringent selection criteria of the Whitney’s Biennial contrasts with the Brucennial’s rather lax entry standards. The title “Miseducation” and its press release offer an indication of the organizers’ desire to question the politics and institutional protectionism that plague the art world – just as they plague any other collective run by individuals with influence and power.
“The Brucennial 2010: Miseducation” runs through April 4 at 350 West Broadway, SoHo, with projects also on view at Recess at 41 Grand Street. Via:[PSFK]
Who Needs the Whitney? They Have Their Own Show [New york times]
