La La Land

Cartoonish paintings of beaches and palm trees, videos probing the cult of celebrity and installations that look almost like props from a Hollywood studio—Alex Israel’s art couldn’t be more LA if it tried.

But that’s the point. Camp and vaguely nostalgic, Israel’s works are a homage to the City of Angels and its residents. The city inspires not only the subjects of his paintings, often predictable Californian scenes, but also their surfaces—his canvases are slick and shiny, with a candy-coloured palette. Even the way his art is exhibited