Schlock Jock: Joshua Citarella at the Whitney Biennial

Why It Matters

The move signals museums’ growing willingness to trade curatorial risk for broader public reach, reshaping how contemporary art is defined and funded.

Key Takeaways

• Citarella's *Doomscroll* now mimics mainstream TV interview format
• Whitney allocated prime Biennial space to a market‑driven podcast
• Critics argue museum resources should prioritize radical, non‑commercial art
• Podcast guests include alt‑media figures Hasan Piker, Francis Fukuyama
• Citarella's shift reflects broader trend of artists courting mass audiences

Pulse Analysis

The Whitney Biennial’s decision to stage live tapings of *Doomscroll* marks a notable departure from traditional exhibition formats. By treating a podcast‑turned‑video series as a work of art, the museum blurs the line between cultural programming and entertainment, leveraging ticket sales and social media buzz to attract visitors who might never step inside a gallery. This strategy reflects a broader institutional push to monetize relevance, positioning the Biennial as a platform for content that can be streamed, shared, and monetized beyond the museum walls.

Citarella’s evolution from a 2010s net‑artist documenting fringe online discourse to a producer of mainstream‑styled interviews illustrates how artists are co‑opting market mechanisms to amplify their messages. His pivot in 2024 to a *60 Minutes*‑like format, featuring figures such as Hasan Piker and economist Francis Fukuyama, dramatically increased viewership, turning political commentary into a consumable product. By abandoning slow‑moving, gatekept mediums, Citarella demonstrates that digital activism can achieve scale when packaged for mass audiences, but it also raises questions about the dilution of critical nuance in pursuit of clicks.

The controversy surrounding *Doomscroll* at the Whitney underscores a tension that many cultural institutions now face: balancing the desire for broader engagement with the responsibility to champion experimental, non‑commercial art. Critics argue that allocating prime Biennial space to a market‑driven podcast diverts resources from work that challenges prevailing narratives. As museums continue to adopt data‑centric programming models, the sector must grapple with whether expanding access inevitably subjects art to the same commercial pressures that govern streaming platforms, potentially reshaping the very definition of artistic value.