Alex Israel | MAMO
by Ottavia Brey
‘Bat Signal 1989', Alex Israel 2019, © We Are Content(s), Courtesy of MAMO, Marseille Modulor
Marseille’s MAMO Arts Center has invited Los Angeles-based artist Alex Israel to create a series of works for its seventh summer exhibition. The pieces are all site-specific to MAMO, which is situated on the rooftop of Le Corbusier’s modernist Cité Radieuse building.
Drawing inspiration from Le Corbusier’s brutalist architecture, as well as the city of Marseille’s own rough history, Israel’s solo show centers around Tim Burton’s iconic 1989 Batman adaptation, and its evocative imagery. The art center’s rooftop has been redesigned to evoke the superhero’s hometown of Gotham, and will also serve as the site of two new sculptures.
‘Batmobile 1989', Alex Israel, 2019, © We Are Content(s), Courtesy of MAMO, Marseille Modulor
Israel, whose practice has long included the use of rented film props, has been granted access by Warner Brothers Studio to both access and activate two of Batman’s most recognizable set pieces—the Batmobile and the Bat Signal. The Batmobile will serve as the sculptural centerpiece of a smoke, light, and sound installation on display throughout the day in the rooftop pavilion, while the Bat Signal will broadcast its symbol from the center’s exterior deck.
Alex Israel’s exhibition was both organized and produced by MAMO’s founding director, Ora Ito, with support from RIMOWA and Galeries Lafayette.
Alex Israel, 2019, © We Are Content(s), Courtesy of MAMO, Marseille Modulor
Alex Israel’s solo exhibition is on view at MAMO — Cité Radieuse, Arts Center, Unité d’habitation Le Corbusier, 280 bd Michelet, 13008 Marseille through August 31st.