A Man in Plain Sight

Artist: Alejandre, Abel b.1968

Date: 2023

Medium: Graphite and acrylic paint on paper

Artwork Dimensions: 42 x 60 in.

County Department: Public Defender

Artwork Site: Hall of Records - Office of the Public Defender

Supervisorial District: 1

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork: <em>A Man in Plain Sight</em> depicts the journey of an ordinary person through the legal system, an experience that often invites unfair and oversimplified judgement from others. Alejandre aims to capture this man in multiple contexts -- on the street, in the legal system, and at home -- representing a typical individual served by the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. By portraying the subject from multiple perspectives, the artwork disrupts any singular narrative, emphasizing that no one should be defined solely by their past actions or circumstances. The artwork suggests that we have complex identities and that with the help of the right advocate, our complexities and uniqueness can be seen and appreciated.

About the Artist: Abel Alejandre (born 1968, in Michoac&aacute;n, Mexico) is a Mexican-born, United States-based hyperrealist artist is best known for his explorations of masculinity and vulnerability in American contemporary society. Working primarily in pencil, Alejandre creates cross-hatched drawings which can sometimes take months to complete. Alejandre also creates woodblock prints using a giant press he built himself and by hand printing. His monumental My Fathers is in the permanent collection at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois.