Alex Prager, Amazing Photographer

This weekend, funky streetwear company WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy (WeSC) held its first art show in Santa Monica at the Robert Berman Gallery. WeSC chose photographer Alex Prager to curate the show, which included 10 artists such as Prager herself and Chad Robertson. As always, Prager's new work blew us away at PopDrawer.

Alex Prager, who has an ongoing solo show at the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London entitled Big Valley, is a Los Angeles native. According to the Big Valley press release, "Born in Los Angeles, Prager has received no formal education since 8th grade, spending time between Los Angeles, Florida and Lucerne, Switzerland. A self-taught photographer, Prager was originally inspired by stumbling upon a William Eggleston exhibition at the Getty Museum... Since taking up photography at the age of 20 her photographs have been included in 13 exhibitions including a recent solo show at Robert Berman Gallery and she has shot for numerous publications include i-D, Flaunt, Complex, Elle Japan, MOJO and Rolling Stone."

The release also states that "Prager photographs her female subjects in a style reminiscent of the great mid 20th Century film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Douglas Sirk." However, for some reason, we are more reminded of late 60s, early 70s Los Angeles, and think of glam housewives over movie stars. When we look at her photos, what comes to our minds is Joan Didion's amazing essay on housewife culture in Southern California circa 1970, "Lifestyles in the Golden Land" from her collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem. We apologize for sounding pedantic, but if you haven't read it, YOU SHOULD. And if you haven't checked out Alex Prager, you MOST DEFINITELY should.





Alex Prager