Marc Horowitz’s Absurdist Art History

Through a blend of personal anecdotes, humor, and insightful commentary, Horowitz unpacks the whimsical and often provocative projects that have defined his career. From early works like the nationally celebrated National Dinner Tour, where he dined with strangers across America, to recent installations that invite collective catharsis, his art consistently challenges expectations, embraces the absurd, and redefines viewer participation.

Audiences will have the rare opportunity to delve into Horowitz’s creative processes, examining how he harnesses humor, chance, and disruption to question established art narratives and societal norms. This session not only celebrates the playful irreverence of Horowitz’s career but also prompts critical reflection on the role absurdity plays in contemporary art. The conversation will be moderated by Daisy Nam, Zlot Family Director and Chief Curator, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.

Daisy Nam is the Zlot Family Director and Chief Curator of the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco. In Fall 2024, the Wattis opened their new galleries and gardens on CCA’s expanded campus. Previously, she was at Ballroom Marfa, a contemporary art space dedicated to supporting artists through residencies, commissions, and exhibitions, first as the curator in 2020 and then the director and curator in 2022. From 2015–19, she was the assistant director at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, managing the administration  and organizing programs, exhibitions, and publications. From 2008–2015, she produced seven seasons of talks, screenings, performances, and workshops as the assistant director of public programs at the School of the Arts, Columbia University.

Curatorial residencies and fellowships include: Marcia Tucker Senior Research Fellow at the New Museum, New York (2020); Bellas Artes, Bataan, Philippines (2020); Surf Point in York, Maine (2019); Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Korea (2018). She holds a master’s degree in Curatorial and Critical Studies from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Art History and Cinema Studies from New York University. She has taught at RISD, and lectured at Lesley University, Northeastern, SMFA/Tufts, SVA as a visiting critic. She co-edited a publication, Best! Letters from Asian Americans in the arts with Paper Monument in 2021.