Spores 

Alex Gross created "Spores," painting in a style which fuses a saccharine aesthetic with darker socio-political commentary. Gross's work often reflects on the cultural and environmental anxieties of our time. Here, we see a smiling family positioned in front of looming factory smokestacks. The child’s face is pixelated. The adults and teenagers seem oblivious to the pollution and are distracted by their cell phones, documenting what exactly? Themselves? The experience of being together? Perhaps the artist hints at the idea that this generation prioritizes digital interactions over environmental concerns. Floating near the figures are blue, spiky orbs, like viruses, giving a sinister air to this otherwise traditionally happy scene. Gross draws on a Japanese pop aesthetic to capture the tension between the allure and the threat of contemporary life. The artwork serves as a commentary on how industrial progress impacts our world, while also influencing our perception of reality and emotional connections.