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Alex Israel

Always On My Mind

January 16–March 14, 2020
Grosvenor Hill, London

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Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Stained Glass) (2019) Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Stained Glass) (2019)

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Works Exhibited

Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Griffith Observatory), 2017 Acrylic and Bondo on fiberglass, 96 × 84 inches (243.8 × 213.4 cm)© Alex Israel

Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Griffith Observatory), 2017

Acrylic and Bondo on fiberglass, 96 × 84 inches (243.8 × 213.4 cm)
© Alex Israel

Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Wheel of Fortune), 2017 Acrylic and Bondo on fiberglass, 96 × 84 inches (243.8 × 213.4 cm)© Alex Israel

Alex Israel, Self-Portrait (Wheel of Fortune), 2017

Acrylic and Bondo on fiberglass, 96 × 84 inches (243.8 × 213.4 cm)
© Alex Israel

About

Sometimes, rather than deciding which context to address with a specific body of work or project, I just think of myself as my context . . . and that’s where my Self-Portrait comes into play. It has become a kind of logo for this imagined context of me—and it hopefully provides a through line as my work shifts or twists across traditionally segregated worlds or value systems.
—Alex Israel

Gagosian is pleased to present Always On My Mind, an exhibition of new Self-Portraits by Alex Israel. This is his first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom.

A native of Los Angeles, Israel mines the cultural mythos of his hometown with polished optimism and calculated cool, melding nostalgic feelings with lucid perceptions of California living and the American Dream.

Israel has cultivated a close partnership with Warner Bros. Studios, beginning in 2010 when he rented Hollywood props from the studio’s warehouses and exhibited them as readymade sculptures. He has also collaborated with the studio’s scenic painting department on numerous large-scale series, including his dreamy, pastel-tinted Sky Backdrops, architecturally inspired Flats, and slick, vibrant Waves. The film industry has continued to play a central role in Israel’s work; in 2017, he made his directorial debut with SPF-18, a feature-length teen rom-com that pays tribute to classic surf movies.

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News

Installation view, Alex Israel: Always On My Mind, Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, January 16–March 14, 2020. Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Tour

Alex Israel
Always On My Mind

Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 6:15pm
Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London

Join Gagosian for a tour of Alex Israel: Always On My Mind, an exhibition of new Self-Portraits by the artist, led by Gagosian director Millicent Wilner. In this ongoing series of photorealistic paintings, Israel frames quintessential Los Angeles scenery and snippets from his daily life inside crisp cut-out silhouettes of his own profile. The artist addresses the effortless visual gloss that twenty-first-century image culture and social media demand of their participants. To attend the free event, RSVP to londontours@gagosian.com. Space is limited.

Installation view, Alex Israel: Always On My Mind, Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, January 16–March 14, 2020. Artwork © Alex Israel. Photo: Lucy Dawkins