Roz Leibowitz

Roz Leibowitz
New York, New York, USA

STATEMENT

I work with found photos, and like most collagists, I am an avid hunter at flea markets. I found these women one day and almost passed them by. Not the type of snapshots I usually work with. But—there was something awkward and compelling about these images that drew me in. The photos are amateur or semi-professional sequences of strip-teases, complete with seductive looks and poor lighting. In their time they were considered risqué and forbidden, like pinup calendars in male workplaces. Today, they appear rather tame, but look again, and the women seem startlingly awake and wise. As if voyeurs back then never quite understood the secrets they held and so they waited until I could give it a try. So I bought the photos and began doing my weaving with no other intent than to see how I could work color and movement through them and perhaps, discover their secrets. And yet, as any collagist will tell you: images never fully reveal themselves. They are stubborn little grinning tricksters. Which is why after, 41 of these collages, I am still trying.

BIO

I was born and raised in New York City and never left. I work across disciplines, using drawing, collage, photography and writing, often in the same series. My work has been shown in various venues, specifically at Sears Peyton Gallery and Soho Photo Gallery both in New York.

ARTIST CONTACT

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rozleibowitz.com

IMAGES