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Dana James

American, b. 1986
Dana James. Courtesy of the artist
Dana James. Courtesy of the artist

Dana James' moonlit paintings are akin to a nightlight discovering its way through caliginous explosions and fractured, multi-panel constructions.

Dana James creates works with an exquisite sense of touch, incorporating multiple mediums and textures. Central to James’s work is the idea of materials transcending their nature. These recent paintings coalesce bright, pastel palettes with recycled canvas. She incorporates unorthodox materials such as flecks of tin foil and iridescent encaustic that create surprising glimmers of light embedded within opaque color fields and evoke the magical play of moonlight or the glinting of the ocean. Her works manipulate materials to create such sublime effects that recall nature, and endeavor to capture memory and ephemerality as a feeling or moment caught in time. Drawing from the tradition of twentieth-century color field painting, James gives form to captivating dualities—transience and permanence, geometric and amorphous, light and dark. 

Dana James creates works with an exquisite sense of touch, incorporating multiple mediums and textures. Central to James’s work is the idea of materials transcending their nature. These recent paintings coalesce bright, pastel palettes with recycled canvas. She incorporates unorthodox materials such as flecks of tin foil and iridescent encaustic that create surprising glimmers of light embedded within opaque color fields and evoke the magical play of moonlight or the glinting of the ocean. Her works manipulate materials to create such sublime effects that recall nature, and endeavor to capture memory and ephemerality as a feeling or moment caught in time. Drawing from the tradition of twentieth-century color field painting, James gives form to captivating dualities—transience and permanence, geometric and amorphous, light and dark. 

 

Dana James was born in New York City, where she is currently based. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2008 and has since had her paintings featured in numerous solo, two-person, and group exhibitions in the US and abroad. James has had solo shows at Hollis Taggart Contemporary, New York; Bode Projects, Berlin; and The Lodge Gallery, New York. Her 2017 solo show Sometimes Seen Dreams was selected as a featured exhibit for the Art Critical Review Panel discussion series. In 2020, Daily Collector featured James in the article Top 20 Artists Shaping the New Decade.” Jamess artwork has also been featured or reviewed in Artforum, New York Magazine, Two Coats of Paint, and Hyperallergic, among others. Her paintings are held in many private and public collections, including UBS Art Collection and Gibson & Dunn. James is represented by Hollis Taggart Contemporary in New York and Bode Projects in Berlin.

Works

News

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What Sold at Frieze Seoul and The Armory Show 2024 - Artsy

What Sold at Frieze Seoul and The Armory Show 2024

Artsy, September 9, 2024
Market Uncertainty Didn’t Dampen Sales at This Year’s Armory Show - Hyperallergic

Market Uncertainty Didn’t Dampen Sales at This Year’s Armory Show

Hyperallergic, September 7, 2024
$825,000 Robert Motherwell painting leads The Armory Show 2024 opening day sales. - Artsy

$825,000 Robert Motherwell painting leads The Armory Show 2024 opening day sales.

Artsy, September 6, 2024
Despite art market ‘doomsayers’, Armory Show dealers see signs of 'a good turnaround' in opening sales - The Art Newspaper

Despite art market ‘doomsayers’, Armory Show dealers see signs of 'a good turnaround' in opening sales

The Art Newspaper, September 6, 2024
Ibiza’s Lively Art Fair Is Ushering in a Burgeoning New Scene

Ibiza’s Lively Art Fair Is Ushering in a Burgeoning New Scene

Artsy, June 2024
Public Art Celebrates the Female Gaze Amidst Male-Dominated Architecture - Cultbytes

Public Art Celebrates the Female Gaze Amidst Male-Dominated Architecture

Cultbytes, March 30, 2024
Dana James: Pearls & Potions

Dana James: Pearls & Potions

The Brooklyn Rail, October 31, 2023
Artists to Watch This Month: 10 Solo Gallery Shows in New York Not to Miss in October - Artnet News

Artists to Watch This Month: 10 Solo Gallery Shows in New York Not to Miss in October

Artnet, October 14, 2023
The Artists Trending This April, Artsy Editorial - Dana James

The Artists Trending This April

Artsy, April 28, 2023
Studio Visit: Painter Dana James - Cool Hunting

Studio Visit: Painter Dana James

Cool Hunting, April 13, 2023
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Publications

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Dana James: Pearls & Potions catalogue
Dana James: Pearls & Potions
$ 20.00
Of the Past and Present: Estates and Contemporary Artists at Hollis Taggart
Of the Past and Present: Estates and Contemporary Artists at Hollis Taggart
$ 40.00
Dana James: Something I Meant to Say
Dana James: Something I Meant to Say
$ 20.00
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