Alex Racine
American Contemporary Sculptor
Alex Racine’s ceramic sculptures employ the power of words and palmistry. The human palm has lines in it that represent language, so the artist naturally thought to sculpt words. The openings in his elegant hands encourage the viewer to also explore the inside, consider how hands articulate, and how we may interpret character from the lines and configurations of the palm of a person’s hand. Walkie-Talkie and Basic Instinct are after the human body. The fingers become a blend of leg and arm anatomy. Fingers crossed in Basic Instinct conjures the iconic cultural moment in the 1992 film of the same title.
For Racine, his Dog is reminiscent of youthful shadow puppets. Conversely, God is the mischievous, fun relationship with the shadow puppet and his play on its letters. Love is the hand gesture for sign language. Kindness is two hands joined creating one heart— especially relevant at this time when more kindness is needed. Incorporating a sixth finger as an optical illusion, Racine nods to early Warhol drawings, saying, “When I close my eyes, I feel like I have a 6th finger. I like that the sculpture becomes something and does something…it is like a third eye.”
Kindness, 2023
Cast white brass
5.5 x 6.5 x 4.75 inches, 13.97 x 16.25 x 12.07 cm
SOLD
Walkie Talkie, 2023
Cast white brass
6.75 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches; 17.15 x 13.34 x 6.89 cm
Basic Instinct, 2023
Cast white brass
5.75 x 5 x 4.5 inches, 14.60 x 12.7 x 11.43 cm
Signed on bottom
Love, 2023
Ceramic with acrylic and metal paint coating
11.75 x 9.5 x 3.5 inches, 29.85 x 24.13 x 8.89 cm
Signed on verso
God, 2023
Ceramic with acrylic and metal paint coating
7.75 x 12 x 5 inches, 19.69 x 30.48 x 12.7 cm
Signed on verso
Dog, 2023
Ceramic with acrylic and metal paint coating
9 x 12 x 4 inches, 22.86 x 30.48 x 10.16 cm
Signed on verso