Malik Gaines is an artist and writer whose practice has included performance and video installation work, scholarship and criticism, and curatorial projects. 

With the group My Barbarian, Gaines has performed and exhibited internationally.  My Barbarian brings theatricality to the critique of cultural sites, playfully reenacting the histories that have shaped the present moment of performance.  Solo exhibitions have included Participant Inc. (NYC), Hammer Museum (LA) and Museo El Eco (Mexico City).  Performance sites have included the Kitchen, New Museum, Whitney Museum, (NYC), LACMA, MOCA, REDCAT (LA), Power Plant, (Toronto), De Appel (Amsterdam), El Matadero (Madrid), Peres Projects (Berlin), Galleria Civica (Trento), and Townhouse Gallery (Cairo).  The group was included in Performa 05 and 07, the 2006 and 2008 California Biennials, the 2007 Montreal Biennial, and the 2009 Baltic Triennial.  Comprised of Gaines, Jade Gordon, and Alexandro Segade, the act of collaboration has been a major emphasis of My Barbarian’s work since the group’s founding in 2000. 

As a writer and curator, Gaines has focused on the politics of representation.  He has contributed to numerous publications and exhibition catalogues, and has written monograph texts for other artists including Andrea Bowers, Mark Bradford, and Glenn Ligon.  He has organized exhibitions and programs independently, and for LAXART (LA), where he served as Curator.  Before joining Hunter College, Gaines taught at Bard College, CalArts, UCLA, UCI, USC, and others.  Formerly a lifelong resident of California, Gaines holds a Ph.D. in Theater and Performance Studies from UCLA, an M.F.A. in Writing/Critical Studies from CalArts, and a B.A. in History from UCLA.