Art Metropole

03 Apr. 2003

Multiple launch and opening for Cary Leibowitz's Candyass

Artist

Cary Leibowitz

Time

7 pm - 9 pm

In this Series

05 Apr. 2003
Artist talk with Cary Leibowitz

Don’t Steal My Car Stereo, I’m Queer reads a car windshield screen by New York artist Candyass, also known by his birth name Cary Leibowitz.

A self-loathing, self-deprecating, incessant whiner, Candy Ass employs humour, media satire, self-doubt, homosexual innuendo and Jewish cultural references to make his not-so-subtle critique of the pretentious commercial art world. Masterpieces are for masters – Leibowitz makes his work in the form of schlocky & tacky knick-knacks. He inscribes mundane objects such as teddy bears, frisbees, baseball bats, pennants, rain ponchos, shopping bags, buttons, trashcans, wallpaper, coffee mugs and T-shirts with his expressions of doubt and self-loathing. He turns stereotypes on their ass and back again. Leibowitz almost courts failure. Rich, layered ideas are tossed off pre-maturely as two-bit one-liners, but the sentiments resonate unexpectedly and linger long.

Opening on April 3rd and running through to May 17th, the Art Metropole exhibition features over 200 of these works – a not-quite comprehensive collection of over 12 years worth of souvenirs of sadness for the self-esteem challenged.

Cary Leibowitz has exhibited regularly throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. This is the first overview of his work in Canada.

Cary Leibowitz, also sometimes known as Candy Ass (born 1963), is an American visual artist. Leibowitz’s work can be found in the permanent collection of the Chase Manhattan Bank, the Hirshhorn Museum, The Jewish Museum (New York); the Peter and Eileen Norton Collection and the Robert J. Shiffler Foundation .

Images

1: Invitation postcard for the Candyass opening.
4: Cary Leibowitz in conversation with Art Metropole's Dave Dyment.
5: Xandra Eden and Jon Sasaki discuss the exhibit.
6: Xandra Eden and Jon Sasaki discuss the exhibit.
7: Julie Voyce, Jon Sasaki and Ian Murray in response to the Candyass exhibit.
8: Showing the effects of Candyass.
9: Installation view of the Candyass exhibition.

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