Nicole James is a New York City based artist recognized for her intimate, cinematic paintings of celebratory moments gone wrong.
Foregrounding a dual interest in classical still life and modern narratives, James adopts on-screen aesthetics to create wildly saturated and quietly unsettling vanitas paintings that use the collective symbolism of familiar personal objects to tell stories that exist somewhere between the artist’s autobiographical experiences and the audience’s.
Often focused on the fleeting, James’ work is characterized by a palpable tension between the emotional chaos of the subject matter and her meticulously devotional painting technique.
She has exhibited widely in New York City, with presentations at The Hole, SPRING/BREAK, O’Flaherty’s, IRL, Storage, Halsey McKay, Room57, and Harsh Collective, and is held in various private collections.
CONTACT: NICOLELAURENJAMES@GMAIL.COM