Alexander James’ new exhibition, ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’, follows the themes of childhood, memory and nostalgia he started in ‘One More Slope’. Ahead of the exhibition opening I was eager to chat with Alexander about his unique artistic process of documenting the everyday and turning it into retrospective art.
King Wears Leather & Suede (detail)
Alexander James is a multimedia artist whose work spans across the forms of painting, sculpture, video and installation. In his most recent show, ‘One More Slope’, we were invited to step into his grandparent’s living room and, metaphorically, into his childhood.
With his work based on personal experience, a little part of himself lies within every piece, and his work is as much for himself as it is for the viewer. With a process that allows him to truly explore the meanings and memories in his life, his exhibitions are a visual display of emotional untangling.
Can you tell me about the project ‘One More Slope’ and how ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’ follows on from that?
The artworks in both ‘One More Slope’ and ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’ construct elements from the past, present and the coming future. Throughout the Living Room in ‘One More Slope’ are references from my childhood. I wanted to recreate my grandparent’s living room. It was an important part of my childhood. A lot of important memories came from the time spent which triggered lots of ideas to date, so I wanted to pay tribute to my grandfather especially.
Showers In The Sea Oil
‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’ is a continuation of this show. I’m reflecting on other aspects of my childhood experiences. Working with recycled fabrics – each holding their own stories and tales to create my canvas works – I have created characters and scenarios triggered from childhood memories, projecting components of past encounters into present existence.
Focusing your art on such personal experiences, do you find the creative process just as important, therapeutically, as what you create from it?
Making artwork every day through various mediums is my way of documenting my day-to-day life. By experiencing things daily, my artwork is a tool to work out situations, examine specific things further and also to dream a little. I enjoy creating disguises in my artworks, specifically the characters. It gives me a chance to push things to the edge in a hypothetical situation.
By documenting everyday thoughts and feelings, it definitely allows room for reflection, which is important because it allows me to process things better and have a healthier understanding of things. Going back to when I work on paper, I write a lot as the first layer and usually paint over it later. I paint over it later if I don’t feel it’s like sharing.
Living Room
Tell me about your creative process…
Works on paper are usually the very beginning stage. I often document ideas and notes I’ve been thinking about for a while. Then from the paper-works that I’m happy with, I will explore further onto larger canvases. Experimentation helps me decide what materials to use – sometimes I have a clear idea about it, but it truly depends what I’m working on.
Brainstorming and the whiteboard in my studio have a big input in my process. I always put the ideas down, let it sit and then revisit them a couple of days later. It helps me break everything down.
The names of the artworks give them such profound grounding. How do the names feature in the process? Do they come first or do you look at a finished product and assign it a meaning?
There’s no direct order to be honest. I usually document stories and positions I’ve been in as well as scenarios that I wasn’t able to work out at the time. Sometimes I think of the title beforehand, sometimes midway through the artwork and, other times, after the piece has been made. Either way I play heavily with the titles of my works by cross-wording them like a puzzle; each series is heavily connected. It’s my way of containing key moments and clues that I’m not ready to entirely share.
In The Palace – 5am
What’s your studio space like?
Controlled chaos.
Some days its more hectic than others, since I’ve recently made some new mixed media works involving furniture and fabrics. It feels a lot like a living room all the time, which I’m really enjoying. I usually start making work in the same area of the studio but eventually relocate it to the floor, or on another wall and then once it’s near completion it will find its way back to the starting-point.
The whiteboard comes in handy because it allows me to write new processes or techniques I may have discovered during the making of something. Also it’s nice to write general ideas, which sometimes develop further.
I know you’re very active on Instagram, even posting photos of artwork before it’s revealed in an exhibition. How do you think Instagram changes the art world?
It has definitely added to the way people consume art because there’s a lot more availability out there. Anyone can access an artist’s work, halfway across the world in just a couple of clicks – so in that respect it’s much faster for communication and reaction.
It’s Not What It Seems
Before Instagram, galleries were the only access point to collectors or curators, so it has definitely opened an easier reach for the collector or curator to get in touch directly with the artist. I think some of the more emerging galleries have suffered from this.
Something that really spoke to me on Instagram was the artwork ‘A King Wears Denim and Leather’ I believe it’s reimagined as ‘A King Wears Leather and Suede’ for the new exhibition. Can you explain that piece a little more?
‘A King Wears Denim and Leather’ was part of the series ‘Sharper Than Razor Blades’. It focuses on the overlap of identity, digitalisation and materiality.
Forgetting The Shallow End
In this body of work I was trying to depict the fluidity of identity and the versatility of our own appearances, particularly through the use of aesthetics, archetypes and social uniforms, particularly those from certain groups and subcultures. This specific artwork was from researching the uniforms of our past kings, the materials they wore and were very much against wearing.
What does being an artist mean to you, and how did you find your way into becoming one?
It was the only thing I was interested in; I worked hard every day in the studio, trying ideas and working on what felt right. I researched a lot and visited a lot of shows. It’s something that doesn’t stop; you have to always continue pushing different thoughts and ideas. Most importantly: stay open-minded.
Alexander James’ work will be showing at Roman Road – 69 Roman Road, London, E2 0QN – until 7th March. For more information, see here.
