The artist's fascination with character and personality and how that can be expressed through portraiture led to a varied look into the different expressions of fragility.
On another level, it speaks of the artists own sense of fragility and his attempt to overcome his fears and self doubt.
Having never gone to art school or had any fundamental training in painting or drawing, he has essentially had to teach himself his own process. Often you can see the exploratory nature of his work; each piece is a reflection of his search for technique and structure through trial and error. In this exhibition you see this learning curve in it's entirety.
The packing crates were supplied by www.martinspeed.com. Originally used to ship artworks for some of the most prestigious galleries in London and around the World, they have found a second life as canvases for a new artist.
It demostrates how even the transportation of art can transform itself into new creations and transcend the sometimes fragmented nature of the art World.
About the artist.
James is currently travelling the World, surviving as a traditional tattoo artist and a befriender of couch owners and storytellers. He was born and raised in Sydney. Australia and worked as a animator in film, television and games for numerous companies including Sony, Disney and Warner Brothers.
Just under a year ago he decided to leave everything behind and ride a push bike, alone, 3500km across Europe. Before he could change his mind, he found himself in Amsterdam's International Airport building his bike in the luggage collection area and beginning his journey south.
Over the next few months he worked his way through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Pays Basque, Spain and finally into Portugal, where he lived for the next Six months.
Though he planned to continue into Northern Africa, a series of events led him to Windrush Square, Brixton, where he found himself pulling apart two men in the midst of a fight. Through this unexpected encounter he met several members of the Brixton community, including Boyd, the main force behind this exhibition and the Watch This Space project.
They quickly struck up a friendship and Boyd offered to teach James how to paint, providing all the materials, time and space needed.
Painting had always been an elusive medium for James and after years of sketching with a pen he was eager to learn this new skill. It turned out the paint brush was a wonderful alternative to the limitations of a pen and he finished his first three paintings the next day.
From there it was an explosion of work, quickly filling the limited storage space outside. It wasn't long before they decided to put on aa exhibition for the community. Just over three weeks later the show opened the doors to the public.
You can find more of Jame's work at:
www.instagram.com/pearsonjames
For enquiries and price list contact: Boyd@signalproject.com
