b. 1988, lives & works in Brighton UK.
Desire to make works of art is the desire to establish privileged points of contact with the material world, to leave a mark that says: I lived, and loved, and worked in a particular way. Concepts of mediated touch and indexical trace are central, stemming from my deep appreciation of photographic theory. My work expanded out of photography into painting, drawing, and sculpture, and I now work at intersections between these media. I combine a range of handsome materials, including beeswax, brass, gold, graphite, linen, oak, plaster.
James William Murray received an MA in photography from the University of Brighton in 2015 and has exhibited in the UK and internationally. In 2017 Murray co-founded the project space Niagara Falls Projects in Brighton UK. In 2018 he was selected for the Sussex Open Commission Award to produce new work. In 2019 he was artist-in-residence at Towner Gallery Eastbourne UK. In 2020 he published his second artist book The Drawing Stone as a means to distribute his work during the global pandemic. In 2021 he was awarded an Arts Council England grant to develop new work and published an artist edition Also Men. His work is represented by Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art in Belgium.
Selected Exhibitions & Projects
2021
Too Young To Fruit, (group) with Dominic Beattie, Patrick Brandon, Andy Child, Jake Clark, Ben Cohen, Bobby Dowler, Tim Ellis, Doris Erbacher, Slaven Gabric, Adam Gillam, Dave Hanger, Norman Hyams, Alex Jones, Max Mason, Alex Macdonald, James William Murray, Elliot Nehra, Laurence Noga, Jack O’Neil, Benedict Owen, Nigel Palmer, Frances Richardson, Anne Ryan, Amy Stephens, Hanna ten Doornkaat, Ross Taylor, Adam Tunnicliffe, Wevet Projects, Brighton UK
Object Q / Pursuit of Happiness (two-person) with Garth Gratrix, Gallery DODO Brighton UK
Many Splendored Things (two-person) Garth Gratrix, Abingdon Studios Blackpool UK
New Ideal (group) with Paul Anagnostopoulos, MK Baily, Damon Davis, Matthew Harris, Delphine Hennelly, Mildred Howard, Rule Gallery Denver CO USA
2020
Between The Lines (group) with Richard Artschwager, Raoul de Keyser, Ross Hansen, Robert Mangold, Richard Serra, Dan Van Severen, Masaaki Yamada, Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
When Net Becomes Form, (virtual group) artetcetcetc
Great Small Works (group) with Philip Akkerman, Anonymous, Laurenz Berges, Udona Boerema, Michael Canning, Walter Dahn, Laurent Da Sylva, Raoul De Keyser, Matilde Duus, Ivan Liovik Ebel, Damien Flood, Albrecht Fuchs, Tobias Hantmann, Niek Hendrix, Diango Hernandez, Klara Hosnedlova, Brad Kahlhammer, Natasja Mabesoone, Jesper Skov Madsen, Sally Mann, Lars Morell, David Murphy, James William Murray, Frank Nitsche, Johan Nobell, Jan Schoonhoven, Maximilian Schubert, Robin Seir, Berend Strik, Kei Takemura, Luc Vandervelde, Keke Vilabelda, Masaaki Yamada, Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2019
Grounded (group) with Adam Fowler, M Benjamin Herndon, Jill O’Bryan, Rule Gallery, Denver CO USA
Salon (group) with Sean Birnie, Joshua Legallienne, Jess Dadds, Ridder Levitt, Rachel Maloney, Simon Sandys, Matt Page, Kirsty Thomas, Thomas Truscott, John Williams, curated by Haley Moyse-Fenning University of Brighton UK
On The Stretcher (group) with Jesper Skov Madsen, Maximilian Schubert, Luc Vandevelde, Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2018
Lingering (two-person) with Philip Van Isacker, Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
ideal-i (two-person) with Alexander Glass, Niagara Falls Projects, Brighton UK
Sussex Open 18, (group) Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
Marks Make Meaning: Drawing Across Disciplines (group) with Duncan Bullen, Antony Gormley, Irvin Pascal, Rachel Whiteread, Mark Wright, University of Brighton UK
2017
Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing (solo) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
Desire Works (solo) Project 78, St Leonard’s by Sea UK
Old 16 / New 17 (group) with Ross Hansen, Berend Strik, Laurent Da Sylva, Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2016
Screened, (group) with Sean Birnie, Alberto Sinigaglia, Ardesia Projects, Brighton Photo Fringe UK
Sussex Open, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, UK
NYC Art Book Fair (solo) Daily Life Storage MoMA PS1. New York, USA
Athens Photo Festival Benaki Museum (Pireos Annexe), Athens GR
2015
Buzzed, (group) Phillips Auctioneers, London UK
After Desire (MA graduate show) University of Brighton UK
2013
London Art Fair, Axis project stand, Business Design Centre, London UK
200 Faces (group) Kingston House, Birmingham & Quayside Tower, Swindon UK
Bread & Roses (group) Alex Hardy, Rebecca Harris, Paul R Jones, Mark McGowan, aka The Artist Taxi Driver, Alex Pearl, Kate Pickering, Abbi Torrance, Tumim & Prendergast, Hanae Utamura, Rich White, curated by Julie McCalden, Motorcade Flashparade, Bristol UK
Miles Km (group) Bussey Building, London UK
Basement, (group) The Regency Town House, Hove UK
Artist Publications
Also Men, 2021, Studio James William Murray, edition of 1000, with texts by Paul Bench and George Lynch
The Drawing Stone, 2020, Studio James William Murray, edition of 150, with text by Bryony Bodimeade
Peekaboo, 2016, Daily Life Storage, edition of 20
Beheld, 2015, Studio James William Murray, edition of 150, with text by Sean Birnie
Curated/Facilitated Projects
2020
The Streets Where Foxes Hide (Reinis Lismanis), off-site Niagara Falls Projects exhibition at Brighton Centre For Contemporary Art UK
2019
Evil Rises, Niagara Falls, (Ashley Beachey, Sean Birnie, Richard Jed Butler, Bob Visser) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
New Alchemy (Jure Kastelic), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
Not the Dead Spit, (Sophie Barber & Georgia Hayes) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2018
Celestial Body, Spiritual Earth (Joseph Long), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
Is this wet p*$$¥ remix no get enemy, nothing like this love that I’m feeling (Irvin Pascal) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2017
E2 - E4 (Jacob Clayton), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
She, (Melissa Campbell), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
Talks & Teaching
2020
Interpretive reading of ‘Specific Objects’ by Donald Judd, with Reinis Lismanis, Instagram live
Interpretive reading of ‘Some Notes on The Phenomenology of making’ by Robert Morris, Instagram live
2019
Writing as artistic expression workshop, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
Abstract drawing workshop, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
Visiting lecturer on Fine Art BA, Hastings University Centre UK
2018
Visiting lecturer on Fine Art BA, Hastings University Centre UK
2017
Miniclick Photo Talks, Brighton UK
2016
Alternative Perspectives artist talk, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
2015 - 2016
Coordinator of Unit 8 peer crit sessions, Brighton UK
Collections
University of Brighton UK
The British Library UK
Hellenic Centre for Photography GR
SPBH collection UK
Private collections Australia, Belgium, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, UK, USA
Awards / Residencies
2021
University of Brighton, doctoral college project grant
2021
Arts Council England National Lottery project grant
2019
Artist in Residence Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
2018
Sussex Open 18 Commission, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
2013
Eye Witness Award, The independent
Membership of Professional bodies
Axis web
Artists’ Collecting Society (A.C.A)