ALEX ISRAEL

b. 1982, United States

Self Portrait, 2012

Acrylic and bondo on high density foam
60 x 69 x 3 in.

Collection of The Bass
Gift of Anonymous Donor
2020.5.1

Alex lsrael’s series of Self-Portraits were developed through the evolution of a logo based on the artist’s profile—an iconic representation of facial features that calls to mind the famous silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock—originally created for the video piece As It Lays, a beguiling and campy work of talk show–style interviews for which Israel cast himself as host, presented at Reena Spaulings’ New York gallery in March 2012.

Made with the same techniques used for manufacturing surfboards, and produced at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, the sculptures, through the very process of their production, reflect on the context of Los Angeles, the culture of hedonism and the cult of personality from which they spring.