The inspiration for Alex Israel’s Self-Portraits series came from the Master of Suspense himself, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, but Israel doesn’t keep you waiting in revealing what his work is all about. While Hitchcock turned in profile and became a shadowy still or negative line drawing, Israel goes for something a little less sinister and a lot more colourful with his variations on the logo he introduced in the As it LAys collection.
The LA is Los Angeles, Israel’s birthplace and a city which bursts through into his work in theme and delivery. Aside from the direct references to California’s film industry, the vibrancy of the Golden State is palpable, notably in the effect of a silver screen backlight peeking around the edges and between his portraits’ contrasting coloured segments that fit together like a primary school jigsaw puzzle.
Craftsmen at Warner Brothers (yes, those Brothers) fabricated the disembodied heads from fibreglass, and they can be seen until 15th June on the other side of the pond at Peres Projects gallery, Berlin.
All images:
Alex Israel
Self Portrait, 2013
(various shades)
Acrylic and bondo on fiberglass
175.3 x 152.4 x 7.6 cm
(69 x 60 x 3 inches)
courtesy Peres Projects, Berlin
