Mr Jonathan James

Biography

After years working in the fashion industry and travelling Europe, North Africa and South America, I returned to Sydney to attend art school where I majored in fine art print-media. These studies included a stint at UCLA where I majored in drawing and performance studies.

Alongside regular exhibitions of my art I've educated at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, held a regular arts program on Eastside Radio and spoken publicly on art (and other topics) for various outlets including ABC Radio, FBi and SBS News.

Qualifications

• Master of Visual Arts, University of Sydney, 2009
• Bachelor of Teaching, University of Technology Sydney, 2010
• Bachelor of Visual Arts (Fine Arts)(Honours), University of Sydney, 2006

Research

Research keywords

• Fashion
• Narrative
• Printmedia

Research expertise

Jonathan is an early career researcher with a Masters in Visual Art from University of Sydney. Primary research involves visually expressing narratives gathered from personal, fabricated and public histories. The complexity examined in these artworks highlights theories of the neo-baroque, by writers such as Omar Calabrese.

A 2011 collaborative, inter disciplinary project between photo-media artist Jonathan James, Dr David Wills and wearables artist Dr Patricia Flanagan, was exhibited as part of WAM at Koo Ming Kown Gallery, Hong Kong. This project was intended as an example for students of the collaborative process and resulted with an artwork exploring the migratory artists context in new communities. The work engaged students, artists and the community, pedagogically, collaboratively and creatively.This has been followed in 2012 by a collaborative workshop, exhibition and conference at Hong Kong Baptist University titled Haptic Interface where Jonathan's work explored the links between old and new media.

"Print-media's response to Occupy Wall St" is the title of a paper delivered to "Art and Morality Conference" at University of Paris X - Nanterre. This paper explored contemporary print-media artists politicised but often unsophisticated responses to avant-garde politics. The outcome of this research questioned how this response might be one reason for prints tepid engagement in the contemporary art world despite its active engagement in community affairs. The research in this paper responded to ongoing research into print-media's historical role in fine art, contemporary art and current affairs.

In 2013 Jonathan will be delivering a series of lectures that explore the nexus of Art and Fashion at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

Collaboration

Creatively, I work artistically and commercially. My artworks attempt to visually link the complexity inherent in personal and public narratives through a range of mediums, primarily using photographic silk screen. Commercially I collaborate with Honi Ryan on fashion shoots, mining popular culture for a particular clothing label.

My theoretical research includes three areas. I look to theories around visual narratives in print-media. Recent papers have been delivered at Universite Paris X -Nanterre, on "Print-media's artistic response to the Occupy Wall St movement" and at Hong Kong Baptist University titled "Collaborations between old and new media." The second area of research revolves around the nexus between art and fashion. A series of lectures will be delivered at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art in May and June, 2013. The final area covers Print-media and requires keeping up to date information on the state of print-media in Australia and internationally.

Fields of Research

Invitations

Administrative

Administrative expertise

Jonathan is currently course co-ordinator for a variety of courses at undergraduate level.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Introductory Printmedia
• Photographic Printmedia
• Print as Object

Teaching expertise

Teaching and art making are equally exciting aspects of my career.

Current teaching (2013) includes

• Studio lecturing for Beginner, intermediate and advanced undergraduate students in Print, Print as Object and Photomechanical Methods of Print.
• Supervision of Honours students in Print-media.
• Delivery of theory course: Currencies: A Contemporary focus on Historical themes in art; Art and Fashion
• Tutoring in theory on Australian Art

Previous lecturing experience includes sessional work at Sydney College of Arts, University of Sydney, in print-media and teaching "Collage and Text" electives. Further experience as an educator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney included teaching outside of studios or classrooms, teaching students with a variety of special needs, and an increased understanding of the museum sector. Jonathan also holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary School) from University of Technology, Sydney.