Art, Design and Pop Culture in the Work of Alex Israel

Inspired by Pop culture and the urban sub-culture of Los Angeles, the city in which he was born and still lives and works in today, Alex Israel is the author of spray-paint works, abstract neons and iconic self-portraits. For his first personal exhibition in China, various works from his vast repertoire are presented together, allowing a look at his various languages, from video to painting, from sculpture to installation. The series Self-Portrait and Sky Backdrop can also be seen. These last works reveal the uniqueness of the panorama of Southern California through the quintessence of natural elements, such as the sun, waves, the sky, the palm trees and activities in the open air. A reflection also emerges on the constant presence in our lives of mass media and its role in popular culture, mediated through the lens of the multiple identities of an artist who has always moved along the confines of art and design, fashion and film. Hollywood, the American dream, the celebrity cult with Los Angeles as its Mecca and the glorification of success are at the centre of works capable of transmitting atmospheres, moods and sensations of a city in continual evolution. The first floor of the foundation, the mobile facade of which attracts thousands of visitors, also hosts a site-specific work created by the artist for the Fosun Foundation.