England –
Predominantly working in the medium of collage and painting, James found no inspiration in the beautiful Norfolk landscape he grew up in. Instead realizing the landscape of pop culture fed to him via the media had more relevance. James completed a BA Honors in Fine Art at Loughborough University in 2011. Exhibitions include ‘Diversity in Style’, ‘British art for the future’ at the Olyvia Fine Art gallery in London and is currently represented by the MAC Fine Gallery in Miami. After moving to London for a short period, he returned to his hometown in Norfolk where he now lives and works.
James’ work blurs the boundaries between collage and painting, using preparatory paper collages as reference for his larger paintings. He aims to reflect the multilayered visual experience we all live in. Appropriating the very images that have become implicit in our society, James’ work disturbs our sense of reality and confuses our pre-conceived perception of popular culture.
James’ work addresses one of the most important issues of the last 50 years; over- consumption, greed, inequality and life as a spectacle. James’ work screams at you, there is no room for prevarication. It deals with the ubiquity of advertising, sex selling everything, fast food and TV as the drug of a nation. So perhaps you don’t like what you see, the bawdy reality, the cheap thrill, the constant accumulation of sweet things, processed things, plastic things. Unnatural things: but it doesn’t take away from the fact it’s the truth. So on we go, round and round on our big fat merry-go-round while James puts up the mirror to our pathetic world of consumption.
Art & Culture Featured – Artwork by – James Rawson
