James White’s black and white oil paintings depict everyday scenes and objects such as a half empty glass or bottle, a door left ajar, a running tap. The London based artist executes these reflecting surfaces intricately in a highly contrasted palette, invoking the tradition of still life painting, yet using contemporary materials, cinematic narrative devices and images of consumer objects that anchor his practise in today’s visual culture. The sources of White’s work, painted on aluminium, wood or acrylic panels, are photographs of his immediate environment at home, in bars or hotel rooms. The paintings of these mundane moments in between seem to be evidence of encounters and events taking place just before, after or outside the frame. The structured absence in them creates a narrative space charged with suspense and ambiguity, challenging relations of temporality and space as well as roles of protagonist and observer. While the verisimilitude and psychological tension of the paintings direct the viewers’ attention away from the surface, the pairing of two disparate images within a frame in some of the artist’s work showcases the process of cropping and cutting.
White’s photographic prints of familiar interior details, too, combine black and white photographs with color flares and collages with aluminium tape, emphasising their own physical construction as objects. His most recent works on paper are unique large-scale archival pigment prints of his characteristic subjects. This time the images appear muted as they seem to float above or behind a graph paper pattern, the image plane disrupted and accentuated by lines of aluminium tape or apertures cut into the surface to reveal yellow acrylic paint.
Born 1967 in Tiverton, UK.
Lives and works in London, UK.
Wimbledon College of Art, London, UK
Royal College of Art, London, UK
John Moores 24 Painting Prize, Liverpool, UK
James White: Means To An End, Zander Galerie Paris, Paris, France
James White. Isola, Certosa di San Giacomo, Capri, Italy
James White. I’ll See You When I See You, Fondation Fernet-Branca, St. Louis, France
James White. New Paintings, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne
Conversation/s. James White and Günter Umberg, Fox Jensen Gallery, Sydney, Australia
James White. Not this time, Galerie Greta Meert, Brussels, Belgium
James White: New Paintings, Sean Kelly Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Günter Umberg | James White. Conversation, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne, Germany
James White. BODIES, Blain Southern, London, UK
James White. ASPECT:RATIO, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
James White. Eight, Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany
James White. From this Position, Gerhardsen Gerner, Oslo, Norway
James White. The Black Mirror, Sean Kelly, New York, USA
James White. And from this Position, Max Wigram, London, UK
James White. Paintings and Photographs, Siegfried Contemporary, London, UK
James White, Project B, Milan, Italy
James White. Another Hotel, Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany
James White, Max Wigram Gallery, London, UK
James White c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany
James White. The Rough With the Smooth, Max Wigram Gallery, London, UK
James White c/o – Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany
James White. Doomed, Max Wigram Gallery, London, UK
James White. New Paintings, The Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas, Texas, USA
James White. United Elements, MW projects, London, UK
James White. Paintings, Museum 52, London, UK
James White. Atoll, Fig-1, London, UK
James White. Paradise, Casey Kaplan Gallery, New York, USA
James White. The Incidental Monumental 2, Modern Art, London, UK
James White. The Incidental Monumental, Tomato Projects, London, UK
James White & Tim Sheward, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK
James White & Tim Sheward, Casey Kaplan Gallery, New York, USA
James White. Risky Business, Banner Street, London, UK
James White, Gavin Turk’s studio, London, UK
James White. I’ll See You When I See You, Fondation Fernet-Branca, St. Louis, France
This Person Does Not Exist at RN5A, 5a Bathurst Street, London, UK
BUMP at Matt Carey-Williams, London, UK
PaintingPhotography, H2 – Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst im Glaspalast, Augsburg, Germany
Fragile! Alles aus Glas. Grenzbereiche des Skulpturalen, Kunstmuseum Ahlen, Ahlen, Germany
Essentials, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne, Germany
Analogue, Fox Jensen McCrory, Auckland, New Zealand
BOOKS. An exhibition of books about art and art about books, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne, Germany
Deceptive Images—Playing with Painting and Photography, Marta Herford, Museum for Art, Architecture and Design, Herford, Germany
Emotion and Structure, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne, Germany
Di fuochi e accesi sensi, Galerie Greta Meert, Brussels, Belgium
Indoor Voices, Greystone Industries, Suffolk, UK
EDIFICE, COMPLEX, VISIONARY, STRUCTURE, Sean Kelly, New York, USA
Heads Roll, Graves Gallery, Sheffield, UK
In Times of Plenty: The Shape of Things Today, Reflex Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Malevolent Eldritch Shrieking, Attercliffe, Sheffield, UK
NGORONGORO II, Lehderstrasse 34, Berlin, Germany
Malverkasyning, i8 Gallery, Reykjavik, Island
Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, UK
Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life, Museum Narodowe, Wroctaw, Poland
SELECTED, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life Tradition, Konsthallen Bohuslan, Uddervalla, Sweden
WHAT’S UP 2.0, 94 Portland Place, London, UK
Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life, Ha gamle prestegard, Stavanger, Norway
TUTTI FRUTTI, Turps Banana Gallery, London, UK
Dirty Pop, And Model, Leeds, UK
Revealed 2: Collector Space, Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide, Australia
Viewfinder, Time Sheward Projects, London, UK
Minderwertige Gemälde, Galeria Cadaqués-Huc Malla, Cadaqués, Spain
Dawnbreakers, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK
Keep Me Posted, Posted, London, UK
Realism – The Adventure of Reality, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Realism – The Adventure of Reality, Kunsthalle Emden, Emden and Kunsthalle der Hypo Kulturstiftung, Munich, Germany
Go for it! Art from the Olbricht Collection, Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen, Germany
All Tomorrows Pictures, ICA, London, UK
John Moores 24, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Chambres à Part, Hotel Sezz, Paris, France God is bored of us II, FMCG, London, UK
New Blood, The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Paintings in Hospitals, The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
4 British Artists, Archimede Staffoloni Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus
Blue, The New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK
Octoberfest 2000, VTO, London, UK
Gallery Artists, Casey Kaplan, New York, USA
Cartoons and Comics, Heathrow Airport, Heathrow, UK
Fun de Siele, Middlesborough Art Gallery / Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle /
Walsall Museum and Art Gallery, UK
Artclub Berlin, Videoforum, Berlin, Germany
Group Show, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK
Honky Tonk, The Kitchen, London, UK
Against, Anthony d’Offay Gallery, London, UK
Fool’s Rain, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) London, UK
Some of my best friends are Geniuses, Independent Art Space, London, UK
Video work at the Tramshed, Ridinghouse Editions, London, UK
White & Sheward, Michael Joo, Max Wigram, The Post Office, London, UK
Lucky Kunst, Silver Place, London, UK
Jake Chapman, Dinos Chapman, James White, Sam Taylor-Wood, Clove2 Gallery, London, UK
Privacy Please, The gesso painted photographs. James White Studio. London.
James White. I’ll See You When I See You. Saint Louis: Fondation Fernet-Branca.
James White. Evidence. London: Mack.
Thomas Zander (Ed.): Günter Umberg | James White. Conversation, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, Germany
White, James: James White. Small Paintings, Kerber Verlag, Berlin, Germany
McCord, Brooke: James White. Hunger Magazine, Issue 15, Autumn/Winter
Jackson, Emily: James White. Bodies, BlainISouthern, London, UK
Editors: 8 Art Events to Attend in New York City This Week. Artnews, February 8
N.N.: Gerhardsen Gerner is very pleased to announce the fifth solo exhibition with the British painter James White at the Berlin gallery. Art Rabbit, November 4
Keh, Pei-Ruh: Black and White? Sean Kelly showcases the hyperreal paintings of James White, Wallpaper, February 11
Steer, Emily: 5 Questions With James White. Elephant Magazine, February 11
Wilson, Kate: Drawing and Painting. Materials and Techniques for Contemporary Artists, Thames and Hudson, London, UK
Valli, Marc and Margherita Dessanay: A Brush with the Real. Figurative Painting Today, Laurence King, London, UK
Petry, Michael: Nature Morte. Contemporary artists reinvigorate the still life tradition, Thames and Hudson, London, UK
Arikoglu, Lale: James White on Pop, Photorealism and the YBA Days. Whitewall, March 22
Carey-Kent, Paul: ART STUFF on a train #25: When Photos are Paintings and Paintings are Photos. FAD online, October 22
N.N.: James White, Luis Zerbini. Mousse Magazine, October/November
Levine, Kim: Anthony McCall and James White. ARTnews, May
Prapoglou, Kostas: James White: ‘…and from this Position’ @ Max Wigram Gallery. REVma, October 8
Bolivar, Juan: James White. Abstract Thoughts, Siegfried Contemporary, London, UK
Editors: 12 Things to Do in New York’s Art World Before February 12. Observer, February 8
Moore, Alex: Cornered. Wallpaper, June 25
N.N.: Paintings. James White, Digital Temple Magazine, Spring
Spence, Rachel: The real thing. Financial Times, July 14
Herbert, Martin and Millar, Jeremy: James White. Paintings, FUEL, London, UK
Colajanni, Martina: James White. Exibart, April 1
N.N.: James White. On our London Watchlist, Artslant, April
Pippo, Angela: La Lunga istantanea dell’iper-reale. Artribune, April 14
Rossi, Benedetta: Istantanee di fascino. Insideart.eu, April 22
The Adventure of Reality. International Realism Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Dawnbreakers. John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK
Sheerin, Mark: Personal clutter given photorealist treatment for James White shots at Max Wigram Gallery. Culture 24, June 18
Realism – The Adventure of Reality. Kunsthalle Emden and Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, Germany
Wilson, Michael: James White. Artforum, January
Go for it! The Olbricht Collection. Neues Museum, Bremen, Germany
Kuhn, Nicola: In der Fremde. Der Tagesspiegel, April 12
N.N.: James White. Zitty Berlin, March 27–April 9
N.N.: James White. Der Tagesspiegel, March 27
Wiensowski, Ingeborg:Tageskarte Kunst. Rembrandt Reloaded, Spiegel Online, April 7
James White. Doomed, Max Wigram Gallery, London, UK
All tomorrow pictures. Institute for Contemporary Art, London, UK
Gray, Richard: Exhibit. 10 Men Magazine, Spring
N.N.: James White. Cultureflash, April 19
Pasqualetti, Chiara: Alla Ricerca della Banalità, Arte Mondadori, Milan, Italy
John Moores 24. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Coomer, Martin: James White: MWprojects. Time Out, London, UK, January 12–19
Lack, Jessica: James White: MWprojects. The Guardian Guide, London, UK, January 8–14
Darwent, Charles: The other names to look out for. Independent on Sunday, London, UK, January
Lewisohn, Cedar: Art Category: James White. Dazed and Confused, London, UK
N.N.: Its all about. Harpers and Queen, January
Hubbard, Sue: James White at Museum 52. The Independent, London, November 17
James White at Museum 52. GQ Magazine, November
Louden, Bruce: James White. Dazed and Confused, London, UK
Montgomery, Robert: Another Creative Programme. Another Magazine
Paintings in Hospitals. The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Blue. The New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK
Fig 1: v.1: 50 projects in 50 weeks, Spafax Publishing, London, UK
Dailey, Meghan: James White and Tim Sheward, Casey Caplan, Artforum, October
Johnson, Ken: James White and Tim Sheward, New York Times, June 16
N.N.: Young British Art. The Saatchi Decade, Booth-Clibborn Editions
Fun de Siecle. Walsall Museum and Art Gallery, Walsall, UK
Price, Dick: Young British Art. The Saatchi Decade, Abrams Books, New York, USA
N.N.: James White and Tim Sheward, Frieze, Issue 38, January/February
Van de Valle, Mark: James White and Tim Sheward. Casey Caplan, Artforum, September
Saltz, Jerry: James White and Tim Sheward, Casey Caplan. Time out, June 13–20, New York, USA
Some of my best Friends are Geniuses. Independent Art Space, London, UK
Jake Chapman, Dinos Chapman, James White, Sam Taylor-Wood. Clove2 Gallery, London, UK
Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas, Texas, USA
Kistefos Museum, Oslo, Norway
Olbricht Collection, Essen, Germany
The Saatchi Collection, London, UK
Zander Galerie
Schönhauser Straße 8
50968 Cologne
Germany
Zander Galerie
6 Rue Jacob
75006 Paris
France