Since the early 1990s, Leibowitz has carried on with an interdisciplinary practice that turns a critical eye on subjects of identity, modernism, the art market, queer politics, and kitsch. In his comically self-effacing text-based works, for which he is best known, he mixes his obsessions with popular culture and fine art with elements of social commentary, self-loathing, institutional critique, and stand-up comedy. His work manages to seamlessly blend comedy and neurosis in such a way that questions about appearance and identity become a running commentary on the self/other.

This exhibition was organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, California and curated by Anastasia James. The Houston presentation has been coordinated by CAMH Director Bill Arning.

About Cary Leibowitz

Cary Leibowitz (b. 1963, New York) also known as “Candyass,” is an American artist whose work has shown in museums and institutions across the globe including The ICA Boston; The Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis; the Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt; The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut; the Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York; The Whitney Museum, New York, New York; The Jewish Museum, New York, New York; MoMA PS1, New York, New York; The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana; The Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio; The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany; White Columns, New York, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Art Metropole, Toronto, Canada; Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf; Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany; Cabinet Gallery, London, United Kingdom; Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Galerie Claudio Botello, Turin, Italy; List Visual Arts Center, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Leibowitz’s work has been included in the landmark exhibitions Too Jewish? Challenging Traditional Identities at The Jewish Museum in New York, New York; In a Different Light at the University Art Museum, University of California at Berkeley; and Bad Girls, New Museum, New York, New York. His work has been reviewed in The New Yorker, Artforum, The New York Times, Frieze Magazine, and Art in America, among others.