JEROME CAJA AT HAUSER & WIRTH

Lovely Little Sinisterly Sweet Treats
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Jerome is in the new group exhibition curated by Ingrid Schaffner, "Destiny Is a Rose: The Eileen Harris Norton Collection," which is on display at Hauser & Wirth in downtown Los Angeles. Come celebrate his work in the context of Harris Norton’s personal art collection.

​“Renowned for her generosity to artists and institutions, Eileen Harris Norton has built a collection and philanthropy actively focused upon the work of women, artists of color and her native California.”

The opening reception is on Monday, February 23, 2026 (from 6:00 to 10:00 pm). The show will be up until August 16, 2026. It is free and open to the public. An exhibition catalogue is available for purchase. All five of Jerome's works will be included in the book.

Click Here to Pre-Order Your Catalogue

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Jerome’s Art Drips with Contradiction and Insight

They’re designed to provoke. He wants you to think for yourself. Create your own narrative. Fill in the blanks. Form an opinion. There’s no one way to look and feel about these pieces. They’re filled with infinite possibilities of interpretation. Together, let's have fun trying to unpack Jerome’s wicked sense of humor and horror.
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What Do You See in Jerome's Art?

Love Birds Having Breakfast: Cannibalistic birds perched on the rim of a hot skillet cannot wait to devour their sizzling sunny-side up offspring.​

Eric: Beautiful metallic bronze boy stares deep into your soul from behind Windex-blue eyes.​

Miss Tina: Tasty tarted up Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head Cupcake is served hot out of a kid’s Easy-Bake Oven.

Two-Faced Clown: Terrifying bouncy-ball Bozo is doing God knows what with a bloody butcher knife! Now if that doesn’t scare you and make you look away, take an even closer look.

The Blue Bird of Happiness is lifeless with a severed head at the clown's feet. Meanwhile the clown offers fresh-cut flowers to heaven. And to top it off, this playfulness is set on an iconic, Wonder Bread polka-dot background.

Things a Lady May Need: Fool’s game of “Pick-n-Choose” packed and loaded with multipurpose lady essentials. Lipstick for beauty and coverup. The obvious handbag for fashion and concealment. A high heel for style, which cleverly turns into a deadly spiked weapon in case her gun fails in an emergency.

​And a cinematic drag favorite, a “Mommy Dearest" wire hanger to keep her garments tidy, children from misbehaving badly, and in the most dire case, when all “Pro-Choice” laws are irrevocably taken away, this lady will still have agency and choice at hand.
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It's Incredible to See Jerome Included in this Exhibition

Harris Norton has an exquisite eye and taste for art. It’s impressive to see Jerome surface in her personal collection. This is very timely, especially when our current administration is targeting and attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government, aiming to dismantle racial justice initiatives, reproductive rights, environmental justice protections and ALL things LGBTQ+.

I cannot wait to engage in conversation with others provoked by Jerome’s art within the context of her collection. It will be very interesting to say the least.

What's extraordinary about "Destiny Is a Rose" is that Jerome's rebellious gender-fuck art and visionary drag allows him to permeate all kinds of specific centric spaces and circles that most cannot. This group exhibition is another one of those rare examples where Jerome is not only welcomed but celebrated.

Jerome Said It Best

Years ago, Jerome was invited to be part of the famous 1994 "Bad Girls" exhibition in Los Angeles. He was one of the only men to be included in this show. Here’s a great quote regarding the “Bad Girls” group show from the transcript of Jerome Caja’s Oral History Interview with Paul J. Karlstrom in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Jerome gave it just months prior to his death on November 3, 1995 from complications related to HIV / AIDS.
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Paul: "Now, did you feel that it was a good fit, that your work fit well into these women's art?"

Jerome: "I don't think I have ever really fit into any show that I have been in."

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Love Birds Having Breakfast, 1992
Nail polish on found painting on wood in frame
5 1/4 × 6 1/4 in. (13.3 × 15.9 cm)

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Eric, 1990–91
Nail polish, enamel, Wite-Out, lipstick,
​eyeliner, salt, and Windex on paper in frame
15 1/8 × 13 3/4 in. (38.4 × 34.9 cm)

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Miss Tina, 1994
Nail polish on Easy-Bake Oven tray
4 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (11.4 × 14.0 cm)

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Two-Faced Clown, 1994
Nail polish and Wonder Bread wrapper on paper
13 × 9 3/8 in. (33.0 × 23.8 cm), framed

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Things a Lady May Need, 1993
Nail polish and acrylic on found fabric in frame
Five pieces, 5 × 4 1/2 in. (12.7 × 11.4 cm), each

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Exhibition: Destiny Is a Rose: The Eileen Harris Norton Collection
Curated by: Ingrid Schaffner
Dates: 24 February – 16 August 2026
Opening Reception: Monday, 23 February, 6 – 10 pm

Location: Hauser & Wirth in Downtown Los Angeles
Address: 901 East 3rd Street Los Angeles CA 90013
Email: [email protected]
Website: ​www.hauserwirth.com
Phone: (213) 943-1620

Click Here to Pre-Order Your Catalogue

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by Anthony Cianciolo