Self-portraits are an important and frequent part of Alberto García-Alix’s work. The practice of this type of photography implies a personal quest, an aspiration for self-awareness that the photographer undertook throughout his entire artistic career. If in Autorretrato en moto [Self-portrait on a Motorcycle] from 1978 García-Alix portrayed himself adhering to the habitual canons of beauty, in other works he would disponse with them to show sickness, old age, and pain instead. This is visible in Autorretrato. Angustia [Self-portrait. Anguish] from 2003, for example.

In this youthful self-portrait, García-Alix photographed himself riding a motorcycle through the streets of Madrid, combining two of his greatest passions: photography and motorcycles. During the 1970s and ‘80s, as a result of the influence of American and British cultures, the aesthetics related to motorcycles become a symbol of rebelliousness. The artist was part of this universe and belonged to the first important motorcycle club in Spain, Los Centuriones. This became a part of his life that was reflected in his work. The recurring motif of the motorcycle can be observed in detail in two of his publications: Bikers (1993) and Moto (2015). Both of these books demonstrate his progression in the aesthetic treatment of this motif, as well as of his evolution as an artist.