Biography

Adam James works in video, sculpture and performance to bring to life a series of characters, rituals and events which look at the place of the body, habit, costume and masquerade in contemporary society. Often influenced by ethnographic and anthropological studies, he produces complex performances which generate elaborate artefacts and documentation. He is also fascinated by marginal figures in society, such as beggars and vagrants, drawing inspiration from the way they develop a unique appearance or set of behaviours. His video Booger Dance (2010) is taken from a private performance which he prepared by working with a choreographer, dancers and costume assistants, and which was preceded by a number of public performances. The shields from the Booger Dance are testimonials to the performances, and function as contemporary artefacts from a bygone event.