Art Militant: Clarence James and the Power of Memory to Revive the Forgotten
"In these times especially, my art is my protest - freedom is a protest. Memory is a protest”. Clarence James is usually an artist of few words, not one to verbally disrupt the viewer’s experience with his creations to interact with the work individually but was able to find time to sit with me to discuss his art practice and the meaning behind his work. James is a contemporary painter whose evolving body of work explores modern social narratives with a striking blend of cultural symbolism spanning from antiquity to current day, and abstract portraiture that recasts Black identity, especially in America.
The Howard University graduate’s work not only stands as a protest to modern narrative but promotes self awareness and self-reliance. Persona Paintings is a collection of paintings together mixing impulsive brushstrokes and fluid gestures with figuration reimagining the African mask as a contemporary ritual to emulate an ancestral inner presence. In contrast, his Tapestry collection layers ideographic imagery in order to navigate our fragmented and complex psyche shaped by survival within the constructs of societies, governments and control systems.
In his Black Cowboys series, the conversation shifts as James has a more narrative and direct approach to palette and form, where his usual headshot portraiture perspective now takes life form as a Black cowboy resemblance of the untold history of the American 1800s. This series is a vital step in reclaiming identity for black Americans, and inspiring current and future generations through iconography. With Black Cowboys, James has created a hero for all to draw inspiration from.
Actively exhibiting throughout New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles with group shows, installations, as well several solo exhibitions, James has primarily operated out of Washington DC, where he currently owns a private studio. In discussion, CJ pays homage to the nation’s capital when asked about his relationship with the city and its culture, he offers a firm and genuine,“DC is a good city to be in.” And due to its history, Washington serves as a perfect home for an artist to reify history through visual story telling and forgotten traditions.
One of the more appealing aspects of James’ work is his use of composition, never overcrowding his canvas. His balance in subject and environment leaves him more atmosphere for interpretation and visual language which plays a big part in his canvas presentation, whether occupying gallery walls or corporate spaces. In his diptych now on view at Pendry Hotel’s bar level lounge area, his abstracted subject sits foreground to soft contrasting backgrounds, a rather minimal approach to accommodate the bar and social room of a premium hotel featuring classic carbone and carbide architecture and imbued by fine art and decorative interiors.
James shows his technique an influence from various styles with his vibrant expression, extensive use of colors fusing pop culture and graffiti style expression with abstract figuration throughout his body of work, revitalizing memory with semiotic tropes, and written affirmations so that experiencing his work leaves the viewer, feeling self-aware, free and powerful.
