Alexander James Dissects the Square

Description

At the heart of Dissecting the Square. Colours and Black is the square as both physical structure and symbolic boundary — an elemental form continually broken and reassembled with psychological intensity. Sparked by a moment of light “dissecting” an empty canvas in his studio, multimedia artist Alexander James treats the square as a site of tension between control and spontaneity. Works such as Blue Pulse embody this push and pull, where chromatic force and fragmented gestures disrupt geometric order, allowing traces of faces and bodies to surface. The result is a restless visual field that channels the intensity of contemporary urban life, particularly the pace and dissonance of London.

A graduate of Camberwell College of Arts, James enters into a conceptual dialogue with key figures in abstraction from Josef Albers to Sean Scully, while channeling the emotional depth of Mark Rothko and the structural logic of Donald Judd and Frank Stella. His practice bridges disciplined geometry with intuitive mark-making, extending the legacy of the square into a distinctly contemporary, psychologically charged language.