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An illustration of several figures with dark skin wearing white T-shirts and shorts. They are arranged across a series of geometric, colourful steps in shades of pink, blue and yellow, interspersed with orange leaves.

Surreal paintings of contorted figures from Los Angeles artist Alex G

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Date
29 July 2015

It’s the surreal quality and ambiguity in Los Angeles-based Alex G’s paintings that makes them so interesting. Contorted bodies climb, lounge and bend over pastel-coloured boxes, as though they’ve slipped mysteriously out of reality and into a limbo-like world. The uniformity of the figures adds to the peculiarity of the work, all of them with silhouetted hair and features and dressed in white T-shirts and shorts. Looking back through Alex’s work, it’s his current set of paintings, where he’s drifted away from the fantasy-like details and focused more on the on the abstract and obscure, that are strongest. The artist is set to have his first solo show at The Dot Project, London on 8th October, a perfect chance to see the otherworldly details up close.

A painting of three figures with deep black skin wearing white T-shirts, posed across a series of interlocking yellow and pink blocks. The figures are entwined in surreal, fluid positions against a solid blue background.
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Alex G: Untitled

A painting of a person with dark skin leaning back against a pink wall. They wear a green T-shirt and white shorts, with their arms raised and feet resting on an orange block.
Above

Alex G: Untitled

A painting of a figure wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, emerging from a teal floating cube. Their legs are a solid, glossy black and they step onto a matching teal platform.
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Alex G: Untitled

A painting of a figure with smooth, black skin draped in a flowing white fabric. The fabric catches the light with soft pink and blue highlights against a terracotta background.
Above

Alex G: Untitled

A painting of two figures with smooth, matte black skin wearing cream-coloured T-shirts. One figure sits atop the other in a complex, entwined pose against a backdrop of soft blue and pink geometric planes.
Above

Alex G: Untitled

A painting of two figures with deep black skin in a minimalist, geometric space of pink, green and beige. One figure stands wearing white clothes, while another lies on the floor, their legs bent and wearing white trousers. A black, perforated plant in a white pot sits on a pink and green plinth between them.
Above

Alex G: Untitled

An illustration of several dark-skinned figures wearing white T-shirts and shorts. They lounge and lean across a series of interlocking, colourful geometric blocks interspersed with golden leaves.
Above

Alex G: Untitled

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

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Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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