James Marshall (Dalek), OVERWEIGHT: New Paintings
May 17 - June 21
Opening Reception with the Artist, Saturday, May 17, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Irvine Contemporary is pleased to present James Marshall (Dalek) in his only 2008 solo exhibition, Overweight. Opening reception with the artist on Saturday, May 17, 6-8 PM. Video of opening events will be provided by Dissident Display. A new limited edition print published by Irvine Contemporary will accompany the exhibition.
After many years of thinking about American culture, high and low, James Marshall has developed what he considers his most ambitious series of new works. His new body of work revels in a profusion and hyper-abundance of color and planes of space: the familiar lines and iconic “Space Monkey” references that defined his earlier work are only a starting point for a new series of meditations on the push and pull of forces he sees in contemporary life.
Working largely intuitively and organically, he allows each painting to become a new discovery, and the ongoing series of discoveries that defined his career have now led him far beyond his beginnings when, right out of art school, he found a new way to merge street art, cartoons, Japanese pop, and the energy of the urban punk scene. A major turning point in Marshall's studio practice was working as Takashi Murakami's assistant in 2001. He now goes far beyond Murakami's “superflat” to a kaleidoscopic play of space and color that embodies the competing and conflicting forces in today's world.
James Marshall's new fusion of styles and ideas invite comparisons with the direction of the work of his friend, Ryan McGinness, and the dazzling psychedelic compositions of Fred Tomaselli. In an era when abundance and profusion have become the subject of artworld critique, James Marshall presents a counter argument for plenitude and a generosity of spirit, qualities that all who know him have recognized as his real trademark.
Announcing a New Limited Edition Print by James Marshall (Dalek)
Published by Irvine Contemporary
Irvine Contemporary is pleased to announce the publication of a new print by James Marshall (Dalek), a digital c-print on gloss chromogenic paper based on his new series of compositions for the exhibition Overweight at Irvine Contemporary, May 2008.
This print represents a perfect match between the highly-saturated colors and graphic qualities of James Marshall’s new compositions and the properties of current digital c-print technology. The bright white and high gloss properties of chromogenic paper render colors and graphic detail not possible in other print mediums. This new print provides a flawless object and represents a new extension of James Marshall’s work in a small limited edition, each signed and numbered by the artist.
About the Artist
James Marshall (Dalek) lived and worked for many years in New York City and has recently moved to North Carolina. He developed his well-known “Space Monkey” characters while doing street art and graffiti during the year he graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1995). Taking up his street art name “Dalek,” James Marshall began exhibiting his work in galleries on both coasts of the US, and then worked in the studio of Takashi Murakami as an assistant in 2001-2002. He has had recent solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and the UK, and is featured in many books and magazine articles, including DALEK: Nickel Plated Angels, by Roger Gastman (2003), Dalek: Sonic Order of Happiness with and essay by Ryan McGinness (2005), and Street World: Urban Culture and Art from Five Continents, ed. Roger Gastman (2007). James Marshall’s work has been reviewed and featured in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Tokion Magazine, Juxtapoz, Art Papers, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and NYArts Magazine. His design work has appeared in almost every medium from skateboard decks, magazines, sneakers, and Cerealart editioned sculptures to the Scion car. James Marshall has a BS from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and now lives and works in Raleigh, NC.
About Irvine Contemporary
Irvine Contemporary specializes in contemporary art by early and mid-career artists with growing national and international reputations. We also feature works by a select group of major, established artists for collectors interested in building collections with art works in every category of interest.
Irvine Contemporary is a full-service gallery focusing on the needs of collectors at any level of experience. We provide art advising and art consulting, art appraisals, and in-depth knowledge on all aspects of art collecting and the art market. The gallery also provides a unique, unparalleled range of expertise and knowledge through the backgrounds and experience of its leadership and staff.
1412 14th St., NW • Washington, DC 20005 • 202-332-8767 www.irvinecontemporary.com HOURS: Tuesday thru Saturday, 11 a.m. — 6 p.m. and by appointment
