Alex Israel / Bret Easton Ellis

An exhibition featuring new collaborative paintings by Alex Israel and Bret Easton Ellis, the second exhibition by the visual artist and writer. The exhibition comprises six works, shown in pairs
and switched at regular intervals. The collaborative paintings, the first of which were shown at Gagosian Beverly Hills last year, superimpose suggestive text written by Ellis and set in Los Angelean fonts over stock-photographic images selected and purchased online by Israel: sunsets, surf, aerial views of Los Angeles, and closeup details highlighting local architectural vernacular. These painted and printed works were fabricated at Warner Bros. by the production crews formerly responsible for hand-painting Hollywood film backdrops and Israel’s previous works.
Each of Ellis’s captions suggests a larger narrative or overarching story, of which the viewer is given only a glimpse: “This isn’t a real relationship,” she told him, shrugging. “It’s showbiz.” The
hyperfilmic qualities of these monumental paintings are enhanced by their scale, akin to cinema screens. With their floating captions and outsized dimensions, the paintings resemble the credits of a feature film, or the billboards of the Sunset Strip. Taken together, they evoke a slideshow of the city’ssubconscious: a surreal film pitch. In this sequel to the original collaboration, Los Angeles is once again both background and subject.