For Alex Israel, California is more than a place - it is a state of mind shaped by sunshine, the ocean, design, pop culture and the enduring promise of freedom. But turn that image upside down, and its glossy perfection begins to reveal something far more ambiguous. That is the premise of Upside Down, the artist's new exhibition at Gagosian London. At its centre are four monumental sculptures modelled on surfboard fins, enlarged until they become almost abstract forms. Made from transparent, reflective Plexiglas, they hover somewhere between industrial design and contemporary sculpture, while remaining unmistakable symbols of surfing and the mythology of the American West Coast. The key lies in the exhibition's title. The fins are displayed upside down, as though the viewer were underwater, sharing the perspective of a surfer paddling out or caught beneath a breaking wave. It is a simple shift in viewpoint, yet one that transforms a familiar icon of Californian culture into something unexpected, almost otherworldly. The polished optimism long associated with Los Angeles gives way to a quieter, more contemplative experience. Throughout his career, Israel has explored the blurred boundaries between art, entertainment and visual culture, treating Hollywood, branding and the Californian lifestyle as artistic material. With Upside Down, he continues that investigation through a remarkably economical gesture: isolating a single element of the surfboard, enlarging it and removing it from its original function. What remains is a sculptural form that speaks simultaneously of minimalism, Pop Art and the cultural mythology of the Pacific coast. The exhibition confirms Israel's ability to transform the clichés of California into visually seductive works that gradually reveal a deeper complexity. Sometimes, all it takes is turning the world upside down to see it differently.
.jpg/jcr%3Acontent)
