BIO
James Gallagher uses collage to investigate human form and personal identity. Piecing together images cut from discarded books, forgotten issues of National Geographic, and the occasional vintage sex-manual, Gallagher creates stark and provocative scenes that reflect the world around him.
Gallagher’s art has been shown in galleries around the world. He has recently curated a series of exhibitions showcasing contemporary collage entitled Cutters (Brooklyn, New York 2009, Berlin, Germany 2010, and Cork, Ireland 2011) and has edited a related book published by Gestalten entitled Cutting Edges: Contemporary Collage. Gallagher’s art has been featured in magazines such as Arkitip, Juxtapoz, Elephant, Cent, NYArts, Twill and Lines & Shapes. His images have appeared in numerous books, including American Illustration, Communication Arts, and a variety of Die Gestalten Publications. The Italian independent publisher Cura.Books is set to release a limited artist book to coincide with a solo exhibition at CO2 Gallery in Rome, late 2011. In addition, the street wear company Stussy will launch a series of StussyxJamesGallagher tee shirts as well as a video profile early 2012.
Gallagher earned a BFA from The School of Visual Arts in New York City. In addition to creating art, Gallagher is a Creative Director for a Marketing Firm and an Instructor at Parsons the New School for Design. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three kids.
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STATEMENT
I believe in the secret behavior of human beings. Capturing a fleeting moment or revealing a hidden world is what I strive to do. And if I’m successful, I am able to glimpse some of the beauty, ugliness, solitude, and desire that exists in us all.
My collaged pieces focus on personal space, physical relationships, and enigmatic situations. The human forms that I create have obscured identities, allowing for their actions to convey the drama. I construct my scenes by sifting-through, and piecing-together imagery cut from obscure books and magazines. In a constant state of layering paper, moving shapes, adding and subtracting colors, I am waiting for figures to form, and something exciting to happen. And when it does, when I have spotted that brief moment in time that feels so natural, or unnatural, that’s when I leave it up to the viewer to decide what it all means.
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