SHOPAHOLICS III 2018

Alex Gross's "Shopaholics III" is a surreal and satirical take on consumer culture, painted with meticulous detail and a vibrant colour palette. Gross doesn't hide his process; the precision of his brushwork is part of the point. The glossy finish almost feels like a digital rendering, yet it’s all paint. Look at the texture of the sheep's wool, rendered with tiny brushstrokes that build up a convincing depth, and the crisp edges of the brand logos floating in the background. The lizards lounging at the bottom are particularly striking. They add an unexpected element of nature, a kind of pre-consumerist calmness amid the chaos of branding. It's like Gross is asking us, "What's real? What's just a label?" There's a nod to earlier surrealists like Magritte and Delvaux, but with a contemporary twist that speaks directly to our logo-obsessed world. Gross doesn't offer easy answers. Instead, he invites us to question the stories we tell ourselves through the things we buy.