STANDARDS

Core Art Standards: VA1, VA5, VA9

CCSS: R2, R4, W1

Today and Tomorrow

How does one exhibition explore the present and invite us to think about the future?

May / June 2026

Written by Salomé Gómez

How do you find new musicians, authors, or athletes to inspire you? How do you think gallerists and art collectors look for the next big artist?

For more than 50 years, the art world has turned to a major event in New York City: the Whitney Biennial. Held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, this exhibition showcases contemporary American artists. Many of the featured artists are early in their careers, making it a thrilling place to discover new voices.

Over the years, the Biennial, usually held every two years, has featured many artists who soon became famous, including Jasper Johns, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol. Who might be the next artist to make a splash? Keep reading!

How do you find new musicians, writers, or artists? For more than 50 years, the art world has turned to the Whitney Biennial. This exhibition is held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. It showcases current American artists. Many of them are just starting their careers.

The Biennial is usually held every two years. Many artists featured there later became famous. These include Jasper Johns, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol. Who might be the next big artist? Keep reading!

Timely Themes

Since the 1970s, each Biennial has had a theme, representing that moment in cultural history. In 2017, it explored how people see themselves and how race, money, and politics shape society.

One of the featured artists, Dana Schutz, is a Brooklyn-based painter known for her work about personal experiences and the challenges of everyday life. Her 2017 painting Elevator, above, appeared in the Biennial that year. As large as the museum’s freight elevator, it shows people struggling in a claustrophobic space. Oversized insects swarm the composition. The scene is intense and chaotic, suggesting feelings of fear and worry. How do you think these ideas relate to the exhibition’s theme?

Since the 1980s, each Biennial has had a theme. The themes relate to that moment in culture. In 2017, it explored how people see themselves in a changing society.

Dana Schutz was a featured artist that year. The Brooklyn-based painter makes artwork about the challenges of everyday life. The Biennial included her 2017 painting Elevator, above. The painting shows people in a crowded space. Giant insects crawl around them. The scene is intense and chaotic, suggesting fear and worry.

Ideas About Identity

Art historians can look back at past Biennials as records of the issues that concerned artists and audiences. For the 2022 Biennial, the curators brought together more than 60 artists to look at the challenges and possibilities of life in America, including how we treat our natural resources.

Lisa Alvarado, an artist and musician from Texas who lives in Chicago, makes work that often reflects her identity as a Mexican American. For the exhibition, she presented Vibratory Cartography: Nepantla, above. The 2021–22 installation is a series of hanging abstract paintings. Alvarado uses patterns and color to explore ideas about the environment and how land and the human body are connected.

Past Biennials are like records of what society was thinking about at the time. The 2022 Biennial included more than 60 artists. It looked at the challenges and possibilities of life in America. That included how we treat the environment.

Lisa Alvarado is a Mexican-American artist and musician. For the exhibition, she presented Vibratory Cartography: Nepantla, above. The 2021–22 installation is a series of hanging paintings. Alvarado uses patterns and color to explore how the environment and the human body are connected.

A Digital Destiny

A Digital Future

In some cases, the cultural impact of the ideas artists explore in the Biennial is only just becoming clear. The curators for the 2024 show selected some art that focuses on how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we think about reality.

The exhibition included work by multimedia artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, who experiment with AI tools and digital spaces. To create their 2024 project for the show, xhairymutantx, Embedding Study I, above, they used AI to generate images of a red-haired character named Holly. The program produced strange and altered versions of her, inviting viewers to think about how much control people have over their online identities.

In some cases, the Biennial explores ideas so new we don’t know their impact. The 2024 show focused on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing our understanding of reality.

The exhibition included work by multimedia artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. They work with AI tools and digital spaces. An artwork from their 2024 project for the show, xhairymutantx, Embedding Study 1, is above. They used AI to create images of a red-haired figure. It invites viewers to think about how much control they have over their digital identities.

Eyes on the Future

Each of the artworks featured here is a snapshot of when it was made. Schutz’s painting shows a scene of fear and worry, while Alvarado’s work reflects a period when environmentalism was on people’s minds. Herndon and Dryhurst point to the growing role of AI in our everyday lives. (How much more prevalent is it today than it was in 2024?)

Like in Biennials of decades past, these artworks highlight the ideas, challenges, and questions people face now and as we look toward the future. Are you excited to see what these artists explore next?

These artworks are snapshots of when they were made. Schutz’s painting shows a scene of fear and worry. Alvarado’s work reflects a time when the environment was on people’s minds. Herndon and Dryhurst explore the role of AI.

The Biennial featured these artworks because they highlight current ideas and values. They also look at the future. What do you think artists might explore next?