Frida and Parrots, 2021

Julian Pace (b. 1988, Seattle, WA) lives and works in Los Angeles. In his practice he interrogates the play on the absurd yet deep-rooted themes of celebrity worship, consumerism, identity, and self-absorption in contemporary culture. In a society increasingly obsessed with the idea of the individual, how we look, act, and present ourselves, Pace’s work highlights the monumentalizing effect of the renown. His portraits are a disarmingly literal take on the notion of blowing a sense of ourselves out of proportion as ‘the ego of the image seems to grow with the shoulders’. In both their treatment and content, Pace’s portraits clearly demonstrate his deep interest in art history and the figure of the artist, underpinned by several formative years spent in Florence. Drawing sits at the foundation of Pace’s practice, allowing him to distill the blend of humor and careful observation that his work has become internationally recognized for. Working from these delicate sketches, Pace then skillfully enlarges his drawings on canvas, integrating texture and abstracted details as he scales. Julian Pace’s work has recently been included in exhibitions at the Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach; Fabien Fryns, Dubai; Spazio Amanita, New York; Simchowitz, Los Angeles; The Cabin, Los Angeles; and The Pit, Los Angeles.