Press Release
|The Connaught in Mayfair unveils Alex Israel's vibrant outdoor installation, "Watermelon Sugar," from June 6 to August 14, blending contemporary art with the hotel's elegant façade.
LONDON, JUNE 2024: Legendary Mayfair hotel The Connaught reveals an outdoor installation by American contemporary artist Alex Israel outside the hotel on Carlos Place. The plexiglass sculpture, entitled ‘Watermelon Sugar’, forms part of Israel’s ‘Fins’ (2023) series, and marks the UK debut for the work. It coincides with a new exhibition, REMEMBR (2023), opening at Gagosian’s Davies Street gallery in London.
Israel is known for his exploration of the visual culture of Los Angeles, and the ‘Fins’ series is no exception. By transforming the familiar surfboard fin into a brightly coloured work of art, Israel invites the viewer to engage with the culture of surfing in a new and unexpected way.
The Connaught has stood as an emblem of discreet and authentic elegance since 1897, with a long tradition of craftsmanship. Israel’s contemporary artwork provides a striking juxtaposition to the traditional façade of the hotel, and has been crafted with meticulous attention to detail, resulting in an installation that is both playful and strikingly beautiful.
The colourful piece will be in situ for the public to enjoy at The Connaught from 6th June to 14th August and coincides with a new exhibition, REMEMBR (2023), opening at the Gagosian Davies Street gallery in London on the same date.
For further information, please contact the Maybourne Press Office:
For further information about Alex Israel please contact Ashleigh Barice at Gagosian:
ABOUT THE CONNAUGHT
At the centre of London’s Mayfair, The Connaught, managed by Maybourne, redefines the British luxury experience. An expertly judged blend of tradition with the utmost modernity and is the insider’s choice of connoisseurs in the art of living well. The Connaught includes a magnificent selection of traditional and contemporary guest rooms, suites and interiors, as well as the United Kingdom’s first ever Aman Spa, a David Collins Studio designed penthouse. Michelin chef restaurants by Hélène Darroze, Jean Georges and the multi award winning Connaught Bar and Coburg bar along with the Red Room create a destination for dining and drinking in London. A delightful Japanese influenced garden and by renowned landscape artist Tom Stuart-Smith, and a Ballroom for international and local Mayfair events makes The Connaught Hotel a true London landmark.
ABOUT MAYBOURNE
Maybourne manages Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley, The Maybourne Beverly Hills, The Maybourne Riviera and The Emory, some of the world’s most legendary luxury hotels. Maybourne is committed to inspiring extraordinary experiences that reflect the individual nature of its hotels, its guests and its staff whilst maintaining a timeless and intuitive service style that are the hallmarks of its priorities.
ABOUT ALEX ISRAEL
Alex Israel explores and embraces pop culture as a global visual language. Deeply entwined with his hometown of Los Angeles, he traffics in the detritus of Hollywood film production—backdrops, sets, and props—while also inhabiting the roles of filmmaker, talk-show host, designer, and hologram. Israel’s art practice doubles as a brand, centred around a Southern Californian millennial lifestyle for which his iconic profile-in-shades Self-Portrait functions as a logo, mobilized across high-visibility platforms in the worlds of art, entertainment, fashion, and tech. Embedded within each of Israel’s endeavours are not only a landscape (of LA) and a portrait (of himself), but a savvy meditation on a world fuelled by celebrity, product placement, and online influence.
