Page 128 - Antennae Issue #52

Alex Israel
p 127 and right: Detail
of Valet Parking 2013 Mural installed at the Marciano Art Foundation Los Angeles
© Alex Isarel Photo: Josh- ua White Courtesy the artist and Gagosian Based in in in in in in fin in in in Los Angeles
Alex Israel
engages with the the the the particular culture of of the the the the local film and and and media industries Mining the the the the “food chain” of of show busi- ness he he he interrogates and and and and confounds the the fine line between “talent” and and and and “raw material” while reframing and and and and re-presenting manufactured items whose formal and and and auratic properties are often overlooked For Israel
the the American Dream as as as as embodied by the the the Los Angeles
mythos remains affecting and and and potent Channeling celebrity culture as as as as well as as as as the the the slick appearance and and aspirations of the the entertainment capital Israel
approaches his hometown with an an an an an an an uncanny coupling of local familiarity and and and and anthropological curiosity His work alludes to to both California cool and and and and calculated brand creation embracing clichés and and and and styles that exude the the hygienic optimism endemic to to the the local scene Giovanni Aloi: Your work is concerned with the the the the American Dream as embodied by the the the the the the Los Angeles
mythos celebrity culture and the the the the the the sleek aesthetics that that re- sult from the the the the the life-philosophies that that make the the the the the city so so fascinating How has L L A A changed over time?
Alex Israel: L A A seems to have become a a a a a a a a a a a a a lot more popular over the past de- cade Its undeniable importance as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a cultural hub a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a nucleus-city for so many fields from entertainment to to to art to to to tech seems to to to have finally been accept- ed ed and and recognized internationally The traffic has gotten a a a a a a a a a a a a a a bit worse but the the amount of development growth and and and improvement we’ve seen across the the the landscape certainly makes it all all worthwhile On a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a sad simultaneous note the the homeless population of Los Angeles
has also grown dramatically GA: You have more the the once been described as an an an “art anthropologist” be- cause of of your your ability to to keenly observe and re-present the the the customarily over- looked looked aspects of of everyday life Where does does your your your interest in in in the the “overlooked” come from and what role does does it play in in your your work?
AI: It’s funny because in in my work I I I I think I I I I often gravitate towards the the rep- resentation of of of clichés—ubiquitous subjects the the the the opposite of of of overlooked But maybe maybe there’s something to to examining the the the the obvious that can be be be I don’t know a a a a a a a a a a a a little less expected? Or maybe maybe people take clichés for for granted until they’re forced to slow down re-examine them and rediscover their meanings with a a a a a a a a fresh perspective?
GA: Many of of your your earlier paintings displayed an an an overt “pop sensitivity”— they capitalized on on on on bold colors abstraction and stylization of of form But your your Valet Parking Parking mural unveiled at at at the the Marciano Foundation proposes a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a resolutely hy- perrealist approach Can you you tell us how the the the idea for Valet Parking Parking developed and why you you decided to tackle the the subject through hyperrealism?
AI: Valet Parking was was initially conceived for a a a a a a a a a a a gallery gallery at Le Consortium Muse- um um in in in in in Dijon France This specific gallery gallery was was central to to my exhibition there opened up to to to a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a courtyard and and and existed as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a kind of indoor-outdoor space The architecture prompted me to to to think about landscape cyclical-panoramic land- scape scape painting and and and French narrative wallpaper murals Ultimately I decided to to paint paint a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a mural mural of of L L A A “in-the-round ” all all all along the the gallery’s perimeter Valet Park- ing ing ing is is meant to approximate an an abstracted car-window view of of of L L A A by depicting isolated glimpses of of of the the the things one sees along the the the sidewalk I do do most of of my my thinking about my my work in in in in in in in in the the the the the the car while driving around the the the the the the city listening to to the the the the the the radio and looking out out the the the the the the window So there was a a a a a a a a a a a a a a way in in in in in which the the the the the mural might bring viewers closer to to that particular headspace I go 128 antennae