“Untitled (America)” at the Whitney Museum (pt. 2)

 

The Whitney Museum’s “Untitled (America)” exhibition is a reinstallation of the museum’s holdings from the 1900s to the early 1980s. Having opened in July 2025, this show presents themes of abstraction, figuration, pop culture, and landscape traditions.

The piece that lends the show its name is a fixture by Félix González-Torres. Suspended near a window, it becomes a threshold between interior and exterior. “America” exists not inside or outside but through the act of looking and reframing. In that sense, the exhibition treats America less as a place and more as a process of becoming.

American art is traditionally framed through icons such as Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, or Jasper Johns. “Untitled (America)” features these figures, placing them in dialogue with other artists, such as Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, and Kay WalkingStick. Their work redefined the concept of “America” by resisting the notion of a unified national image and instead presented it as an evolving network of perspectives and contradictions across diverse geographies, communities, and artistic styles.

Since the show emphasizes the idea of presenting “America” as an evolving concept, it should include more recent artworks that further shape this artistic landscape. The artworks in the show date only until the early 1980s, which fails to present subsequent developments in multiculturalism. Nevertheless, “Untitled (America)” invites the viewers to reconsider what “America” means by challenging its reputation as a single cultural center and repositioning it as a construct built through multiplicity.

Gabrielle Garland, I'll Get You, My Pretty, and Your Little Dog Too

 

Gabrielle Garland’s first solo exhibition,  I’ll Get You, My Pretty, and Your Little Dog Too, on view 4 September - 25 October at 511 West 22nd Street, is a collection of wall-mounted paintings depicting a series of architectural portraits. Using the homes illustrated to depict the personality of the people who live inside, rather than the actual people. Her impressionistic depiction of neighborhoods and street views of homes is done with affection and distortion, with fragments of details. Mailboxes, flower boxes, and more stretch, shrink, or lean at angles, capturing the emotional memory that blurs structural accuracy.

Using paint and glitter on canvas, she depicts homes in distorted, illustrative ways that push a personality and liveliness to the inanimate objects that are the homes and the objects that adorn them. Rendered in bright colors and uneven warped perspective, Garland's homes take on their own humanlike expressions. Focusing more on the feeling and memory the artist had of the homes rather than what is real in life. 

 The show space itself remains open with bright lights from the floor to the ceiling windows, along with the bright LED lights. The space itself feels a little too sterile, but allows the pieces to keep the spotlight on the plain white walls. The space allows the viewer to slow down and pick at every small detail meticulously painted within each home. Overall, the space feels too clean and too bright, in addition to the bright paintings; perhaps a warmer light would help with the human feel of the gallery.

 

Henry Miller is known for breaking conventions and confronting taboos. His writing and painting not only reflect personal experiences but also challenge social norms. His life shows that the growth of an artist requires not only talent and courage but also opportunities and platforms.

In my view, to become an artist, one must have vision, be bold in experimenting and expressing oneself. At the same time, having a mentor or supporter to bring you into the art world and provide a platform is equally important. Ultimately, consistent effort, producing a large body of work, and gaining exposure are the true keys to an artist’s success.