Bio: Alex Israel, 43, Los Angeles
Title of work: Self Portrait (Jukebox)
Where to see it:
“Alex Israel: Where is My Mind?”
Pace Prints, New York
Through June 6th
Three words to describe this work: Whimsical, magical, nostalgic.
What was on your mind at the time: I was looking at a vintage jukebox in my studio and imagining it coming to life. Its reality started to slip—feathered birds, swirling notes—as if Hollywood animators took over the room and the everyday tilted into fantasy.
An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: What’s easy to miss is that the entire image—both the photorealistic base and the animated overlays—was first hand-painted by a scenic artist on the Warner Bros. backlot. That painting was then scanned and translated into the final print.
How the work reflects your practice as a whole: I work out of my hometown, Los Angeles, so I’m always thinking about image-making—how the city produces images, and how they loop back into our sense of reality. Here, classic Hollywood animation collides with pop music and the logic of augmented reality, a space I explored through collaborations with Snap Inc. I’m drawn to that edge between the real and the performed—a boundary that feels especially fluid here in LA.
One song that captures the work’s essence: Any of the records in that jukebox would do—and they’re already in the piece! Let’s go with “Best of My Love” by The Emotions.
