Acosta is a self-taught contemporary artist born February 2, 1986 in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents and raised in New York. His artwork addresses socio economic disadvantage in juxtaposition to mass consumerism using both subtle and familiar eye-catching symbols that ask the viewer to pause and contemplate the narrative.

Growing up, Israel Acosta saw firsthand the challenges minorities face. In his artwork, he captures the dream that working hard, being ambitious and taking odd jobs is a concerted effort to better provide for the future generation. He is interested in this system of ideology and paints it into his canvas in the form of logos such as GE, Tiffany, Saint Laurent amongst other pop culture references. The idea that ownership of a luxury brand item is an indication of accomplishment for someone in the working class is a repeated theme throughout his diverse body of work.

Acosta also acknowledges the heavy influence of religion in Hispanic culture. He will sometimes incorporate scriptures to communicate some of life’s lessons (Si Dios Quiere – Life’s hope) He can create a play on words for example, by replacing the R in Dior with an S, editing it to say Dios or paint Popeye winking with the text "If thy right eye sins, pluck it .”

To him all these prompts depict a battle between righteousness and sin while acknowledging that humans often lose their intention or purpose in life because of greed or temptations. Acosta creates all this conceptual messaging and then pairs it with a palette of bright colors that he feels aligns with his Hispanic roots.

More work by Acosta can be seen at: https://de-israel.com/