ALEX ZAK ARTIST STATEMENT

Alex Zak’s work often depicts leisure space in collapse. Using a wide variety of materials— be it found objects, sand, textiles, and wood to name a few—they rework images and symbols informed by the desire and decadence of such locations to explore the history, culture, and labor that is obscured. In doing so, Zak builds and produces installations, sculptures, videos, and performances that reflect on the state of local ecologies and communities while interrogating the visual landscape of tourist imaginaries.

Zak received both a BFA and a BAVCS from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2012) and recently received their MFA from Yale School of Art (2020). They have exhibited in Chicago, IL, New Haven, CT, New York, NY, Tampa, FL, and Varanasi, India.