ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Whitney Biennial 2022 Announces 63 Artists for 'Quiet as It's Kept' Exhibition Opening April 6

exhibition · 2026-03-19

Scheduled to commence on April 6, the 2022 Whitney Biennial, named 'Quiet as It's Kept,' showcases the works of 63 artists, mainly hailing from the U.S. and Mexico. The title was selected by curators David Breslin and Adrienne Edwards, inspired by phrases from Max Roach, Toni Morrison, and David Hammons. The planning phase began prior to the 2020 election, the pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement, creating a unique backdrop. Since its inception in 1973, the biennial has been a site of controversy, highlighted by the Guerrilla Girls' protests in 1987 and discussions surrounding Dana Schutz's 2017 piece 'Open Casket.' This year’s lineup includes artists like Lisa Alvarado, Harold Ancart, and Mónica Arreola, among others.

Key facts

  • The 2022 Whitney Biennial opens April 6 with 63 artists.
  • The exhibition is titled 'Quiet as It's Kept,' a phrase used by Max Roach, Toni Morrison, and David Hammons.
  • Curators David Breslin and Adrienne Edwards began planning before the 2020 election, pandemic, and Black Lives Matter movement.
  • The biennial has been controversial since 1973, with protests over race and gender issues.
  • In 2017, Dana Schutz's painting 'Open Casket' of Emmett Till caused uproar.
  • Artists withdrew in 2019 over board member Warren Kanders's ties to Safariland, which sold military supplies.
  • The 1993 biennial was the most diverse major U.S. museum exhibition at the time.
  • The 2014 biennial had only nine Black artists out of 109, leading to withdrawals by The YAMS Collective.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Whitney Biennial
  • Whitney Museum
  • Guerrilla Girls
  • The YAMS Collective
  • Safariland
  • Cassandra Press
  • A Gathering of the Tribes
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Artnet
  • Vulture
  • Art in America
  • ArtNews
  • ARTPULSE

Locations

  • New York
  • USA
  • Mexico
  • San Antonio
  • Chicago
  • Brussels
  • Tijuana
  • San Diego
  • Los Angeles
  • Paris
  • Brooklyn
  • Tangier
  • Morocco
  • Upsala
  • Canada
  • Vancouver
  • Glover
  • VT
  • Queens
  • Busan
  • South Korea
  • Fort Defiance
  • Navajo Nation
  • Albuquerque
  • NM
  • Villanova
  • PA
  • West Tremont
  • ME
  • Richmond
  • VA
  • Providence
  • RI
  • Camden
  • NJ
  • Philadelphia
  • Huntsville
  • AL
  • San Francisco
  • Kuwait City
  • San Juan
  • PR
  • Rotterdam
  • Netherlands
  • New Orleans
  • Pittsburgh
  • Minneapolis
  • Jersey City
  • Cleveland
  • Somerville
  • MA
  • Laos
  • Blaine
  • MN
  • Santiago
  • Chile
  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Salinas
  • CA
  • Joshua Tree
  • Cincinnati
  • Treaty 9 Territory
  • Northern Ontario
  • North Bay
  • Robinson Huron Treaty Territory
  • Memphis
  • Houston
  • Kingston
  • Jamaica
  • Columbia
  • SC
  • Lawrence
  • KS
  • Kickapoo lands
  • Osage lands
  • Kansa lands
  • Sioux lands
  • Tongva lands
  • Gabrielino lands
  • Kizh lands
  • Chumash lands
  • Ciudad Juárez
  • Monterrey
  • Dallas
  • Oakland
  • Tucson
  • AZ
  • Newcastle
  • Mexico City
  • Redwood City
  • Plymouth
  • Montserrat
  • London
  • UK
  • Detroit
  • Beirut
  • Lebanon
  • Port of Spain
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Hanoi
  • Vietnam
  • Berkeley
  • Madison
  • WI
  • Baltimore
  • Mississippi
  • New York City
  • Juárez, Mexico

Sources