James Alexander McKenzie

Website: http://jamesalexandermckenzie.com

Email: mckenzie_james@hotmail.co.uk

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Statement

James Alexander McKenzie (born 1994, Harare) is a Scottish painter working within the expanded field of painting, encompassing sculpture, installation, collage, found objects, music, poetry, prose and performance in his impulsive and therapeutic practice. Spontaneity is essential to his methodology and permeates whatever output he finds himself working towards. His methodology is ungoverned and non-complacent and through it he meanders with themes and expands his understanding of the degrees of his identity. He is heavily influenced by his work with children and people with disabilities and rejoices at their uncomplicated nature, and endeavors to attain the fullness he so often finds they have with his artistic practice.

McKenzie considers his writing to be painting in an expanded field given that his painting and writing practices are unified; with both he exercises an intuitive, fluid therapeutic technique. Sometimes finding ease in painting, sometimes in writing poetry, sometimes in a different mode altogether, McKenzie challenges what constitutes a painting.

McKenzie is the founder of Pepsi Collective, a 21-member artist collective comprised of several generations of DJCAD graduate artists. They host exhibitions around Scotland irregularly.

Biography

Education
2014-2017: Art and Philosophy BA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee (graduated with honours first class)
2012-2013: General Foundation at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh

Awards
2019: £5000 bursary from RSA Residencies for Scotland scheme to undertake a residency at the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney to focus on a collaborative project with Daniel O'Dempsey
2018: RSA New Contemporaries Carnegie Scholarship for painting
2017: RSA New Contemporaries 2018 Selected Artist
2017: James Guthrie Orchar Memorial Art Prize, Dundee University
2012: Robert Patterson Pencil Portrait Award, George Watson’s College

Selected Exhibition, Performance and Workshops
2020: Beta Blockers, live performance, Forest Café, Edinburgh
2020: Academy Late, launch event for the new RSA Salon membership scheme, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2019-20: Alba down to Nippon, OPEN SSA+VAS, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 3, WASPS Studios, Stromness, Orkney
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 2, Stromness Academy, Orkney
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 1, Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney
2019: Experimental Poetry Workshop, part of Piergroup, The Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney
2019: PEPSI 2, St. Margaret's House, Edinburgh
2019: invited to perform Baby Jet II at Michael Kay Terrence's The Marks to Prove It private view, Summerhall, Edinburgh
2019: JET BABY, part of Annuale Festival 2019, Heart of Midlothian, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
2019: PEPSI GENESIS, Dock Street Studios, Dundee
2019: The Assassination of Dr. Queso Empanada, SA-LON SUCKERS, Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh
2019: Round One, poetry reading at private view, The Bridewell Studios, Liverpool
2018-19: CONCORD NUDIST, SSA 121st Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2018: ECSTASY AB INITIO, unauthorized poetry reading, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
2018: Live Music// Jam Session// Poetry ETC, The George Orwell, Dundee
2018: RSA New Contemporaries, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2017: RSA Open Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy
2017: Best of Degree Show, Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow
2017: Annual Art, Design & Architecture Degree Show, Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee
2017: Trans-Fixed Live Performance Event, generatorPROJECTS, Dundee
2016: ATTRIBUTES, Room 601, Duncan of Jordanstone
2016: Multi Exhibition, Matthew Entrance Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone
2016: Art & Philosophy’s First Social Event 16/17, Matthew Entrance Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone
2015: Culloden Viaduct Exhibition, Culloden Battlefield Centre, Inverness

Publication
2019: Alba down to Nippon, self-published zine, Edinburgh
2019: Polemical Zine Issue 11: Social, online zine, Canada
2019: New River Press Yearbook 2018-19, New River Press, Fitrovia, London
2018: The Celestial Midnight Bar, self-published, Edinburgh
2018: Untitled Poetry Collection, self-published, Dundee
2017: Prose Poems, self-published, Dundee

CV

Please click here to download the CV for James Alexander McKenzie