Harris Lieberman is pleased to announce the opening of I Need Work, the first New York solo exhibition of Los Angeles-based artist Karl Haendel. Haendel’s graphite drawings combine a virtuosic technical ability with an interest in social, cultural and political critique. Imbued with sharp sense of humor, Haendel’s work employs images and text from pop culture, art history, and news media to upend notions of authenticity and truth. This is furthered through his use of repetition of imagery and unexpected shifts in scale.

I Need Work is Haendel’s most autobiographical exhibition to date combining his political interests with a highly personal narrative. The title of the exhibition refers to the importance of a daily studio practice to Haendel’s work and the position of artist as laborer.

Karl Haendel received an MFA from UCLA in 2003. In 2005, he had a solo MoCA Focus exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Haendel’s work has also been exhibited in group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the touring exhibition The Uncertain States of America.