Vincent James
Using objects appropriated from cartoons as a starting point, Vincent James makes artwork across a range of media including sculpture, collage and animation. In his work props dislocated from different cartoon worlds collide, creating surreal and whimsical interactions.
James’ sampling of popular culture and separation of objects from their original context links his work to American pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg. In his work objects originally only glimpsed in a few frames of a cartoon, become frozen in time, locked in three-dimensional space or trapped in endless loops of animation.
Since completing an MA at Goldsmiths in 1999 Vincent has shown nationally and internationally including exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo. Exhibitions include Sew What?, a solo show at Studio 2, Todmorden, inclusion in the group show Merry-Go-Round-Broke-Down at Air Gallery, Altringham and a residency and solo exhibition for Art Fair Suomi, Helsinki.
His work is part of the Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation Collection, California and Touchstones Art Gallery Permanent Collection, Rochdale. The Greater Manchester Museums Group also selected his work, Do I Worry if Niagara Falls? for inclusion in Our Connected Histories, their online archive project.
Education
1999 MA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, London
1997 First Class BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Humberside, Hull
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 Sew What?, Studio 2, Todmorden
2017 Lights of the Fox, Art Fair Suomi, Helsinki
2016 Platforms Project, Art Athina, PAPER, Athens
2016 The Grand Scheme of Things, PAPER, Manchester
2010 Soft Centred, Saltburn Artist’s Projects, Saltburn-by-the-Sea
2010 Flotsam and Jetsam, The Lowry Hotel, Manchster
2009 Stuff and Nonsense, Pad Gallery, Preston
2008 Suspended Animation, Touchstones Art Gallery, Rochdale
2008 Jet Set Trash, Hive Gallery, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley
2005 Crash Bang Wallop, The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
2004 Reanimator, Comme Ca NYC, New York
2004 Reanimator, Comme Ca, Manchester
2001 Snow Business, Habitat, London
2001 Vincent James, Ace Gallery (Project Space), New York
2000 Vincent James, Ace Gallery, Los Angeles
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019 Temporal Terrains, Dean Clough, Halifax
2019 (Im)Material Disarray, Snaparts, Wakefield
2019 Why Smash Atoms, PS Miracle, Manchester
2018 Connexions, Dean Clough, Halifax
2018 Dividing Rule: The Line Between, Platforms Project, PAPER, Athens
2018 Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, AIR Gallery, Altrincham
2018 Dividing Rule: The Line Between, PAPER, Manchester
2017 Separation, Dye House Gallery, Bradford
2017 Summer Salon Screening, Lubomirov/Angus-Hughes, London
2017 Semiotic Guerrilla Warfare part IV, Charlie Smith, London
2015 Semiotic Guerrilla Warfare, PAPER, Mancheter
2015 Sluice Art Fair, PAPER, London
2015 The Manchester Contemporary, PAPER, Manchester
2013 Pop Culture, MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, New Jersey
2013 Sea, Touchstones Art Gallery, Rochdale
2012 Proper Normal, Pal, Free For Arts Festival, Manchester
2012 A Century Later, Touchstones Art Gallery, Rochdale
2012 This is Not an Empty Space, Melbourne Works, Hebden Bridge
2011 Layers of Landscape, Touchstones Art Gallery, Rochdale
2011 Child’s Play, Spring Bank Mill, Rochdale
2009 Buy Art Fair, Comme Ca Art, Urbis, Manchester
2008 Art and Illusion, Susquehanna Art Museum, Pennsylvania
2008 FRED 08, Fold Gallery, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbira
2008 ArtMap, The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
2007 Inspirational Artwork, The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
2007 The Eclectic Eye, Contemporary Art Centre, New Orleans
2005 FRED 05, Grizedale Forest Sculpture Trail, Cumbria
2004 Bad Reception, Debenhams Window Gallery, Manchester
2004 We Didn't Mean to be Bad Kids - TV Made Us Do It, Warrington Museum
2002 Ace Invitational, Ace Gallery, New York
2002 Sale, Inside Space, Selfridges, London
2001 LA International – Biennial Art Invitational, Ace Gallery, Los Angeles
2000 Zig Zag, Thomas Cohen Gallery, Sao Paulo
1999 Living in the Real World, Cubitt, London
1998 Artsite Billboard Project, Belfast
Commissions and Residencies
2018 Our Voices, animation commission for Rochdale Pioneers Museum
2017 Artist in residence for Art Fair Suomi, Helsinki
2016 Deep Thought, Bloc Projects Billboard Commission, Sheffield
2016 Mind Reading, Window commission, Blackwell Bookshop, Leeds
2015 Exploring PAPER Residency, PAPER, Manchester
2014 Dream Genie, Bury Light Night, Manchester
2013 - 14 Sea, Touchstones Art Gallery, Rochdale
2013 As I Live and Breathe, Bury Light Night, Manchester
2012 Out Like a Light, Bury Light Night, Manchester
2010 Making Waves, Heywood Sports Village, Lancashire
2006 Bath Time and Tide, Comme Ca Art, Manchester
Collections
Touchstones Art Gallery Permanent Collection, Rochdale
Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation Collection, California
