James Marshall (Dalek), Overweight
New Paintings and On-Site Project
May 17 – June 21
Opening Reception with the Artist: Saturday, May 17, 6-8PM

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. The exhibition will include a new on-site painting, which will be created in the gallery May 15-17 with the assistance of DC-based artist Tim Conlon. Video of the on-site work and opening events will be provided by Dissent Display. A new limited edition print published by Irvine Contemporary will accompany the exhibition.

James Marshall (Dalek), Untitled (2008.4). Acrylic on panel, 30 x 30 in.

James Marshall (Dalek), Untitled (2008.2). Acrylic on panel, 20 x 20 in.

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.

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.

James Marshall has been featured in many books and magazine articles, including Dalek: Nickel Plated Angels, by Roger Gastman (2003), Dalek: Sonic Order of Happiness, 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.

Announcing a New Limited Edition Print by James Marshall (Dalek)
Published by Irvine Contemporary

James Marshall (Dalek), Untitled 2008. 20 x 20 in. (image), 24 x 24 in. (sheet). C-print on gloss chromogenic paper. Edition of 10, 3 APs. Signed and numbered by the artist.

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. Unlike print processes that impose an image on the surface of a sheet of paper or other medium (screen prints, inkjet prints, and the traditional processes of lithography and etchings), the c-print process provides an archival image developed in the photo paper itself. 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.

For availability and prices, contact Lauren Gentile at Irvine Contemporary.

| Exhibition announcement in pdf | Artist's resume | Full Screen Slide Show View |

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