Online Residency 2021

Biography

James Johnson-Perkins is a British artist whom currently lives and works in the UK and China. His art practice draws from themes such as: memory, nostalgia and play. In his work he uses: childhood materials, nostalgic objects, new media, drawing and performance to camera.

James Johnson-Perkins has exhibited in: China, USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Nepal, Oman, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Macedonia and the UK. Including: The Chinese European Arts Centre (CEAC), National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA), Moscow, Russia, Toyota Museum of Modern Art, Japan, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Glasgow and The Royal College of Art (RCA), London.

He has recently had solo shows at: The Liangzhu Culture Centre, Hangzhou, China, CEAC, Xiamen, China, The University of Nottingham, China, ARTPLAY, British Higher School of Art and Design, Moscow, Russia, The Arts Student League of New York, USA, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales, UK and The Bridge Guard Gallery, Štúrovo, Slovakia.

Johnson-Perkins has exhibited work in over 50 group events, including: The Venice Biennale, Italy, The Athens Photo Festival, Greece, Digital Long Island Media Festival, New York, USA, Lux Artist Film Festival, London, UK and at The Hay-On-Wye Festival, Wales, UK. He has exhibited alongside a huge variety of international artists including: Alison Knowles, A-YO, Ben Voutier, Gustav Metzger, Sean Scully, Littlewhitehead, Andre Stitt, Michael Nyman, Bill Drummond, Bob and Roberta Smith, Vlad Monroe, Gabriela Fridriksdottir, Alan Kane, Matt Stokes, Matthew Cowan, Robin Klassnik, Juneau Projects, Ross Sinclair, and Antony Gormley.

In 2013/14 he exhibited at The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy. During The Legacy of Emily Harvey, Curated by Berty Skuber & Henry Martin, which was held as part of the 55th Venice Biennale Festival. He also had a solo exhibition at Artplay, Moscow and showed work at FABRIKA, in association with Triumph Gallery. In 2011 he was selected by Elysium Gallary to show The Štúrovo Super Hero Society at the 54th Venice Biennale, during the Bus Stop exhibition held at Galleria Perela, Salizada of the Greeks.

Johnson-Perkins has participated on many international artist residencies programs including: The British School at Rome, November 2019 (www.bsr.ac.uk), The Emily Harvey Foundation Residency, Venice, Italy, 23rd February – 27th March 2010 and August/July 2014 & 2017 (www.emilyharveyfoundation.org), The Chinese European Arts Centre, 1st June – 31st July 2015 (www.ceac99.org), The Bridge Guard Residency, Sturovo, Slovakia, 1st October 2010 – 31st March 2011 (www.bridgeguard.org). The Kathmadu Contemporary Art Centre Residency, Patan Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal, 9th – 17th February, 2012, (www.kathmanduarts.org), The Vytlacil Campus Residency, The Art Student League of New York, USA, 1st August – 28th August, 2012. (www.theartstudentsleague.org).

In 2009/10 Johnson-Perkins created several custom made installations for two of the most iconic art spaces built in the UK. Poole Museum, Formerly The Kube Gallery in 2000, designed by Richard Horde and The Public Building which is a unique exhibition space that was originally designed by award-winning architect Will Alsop and completed by Flannery & de la Pole architects.

His work has appeared in a variety of International Art Magazines, Catalogues, Newspapers, Radio & TV, including: RAPSODIA Magazine, Fefe & Digimag, Italy, Relevant Magazine, Spain, Wave Radio, Czech Republic, The New York Times, USA, A5 Magazine, The Guardian, The Times & BBC 1, UK..

Gallery and Educational Work

In 2006/7 he was the Director of Novellus Castellum, an art organisation, in Newcastle/Gateshead, UK. This organised a two-year program of arts events and curated a large exhibition space in a disused warehouse in the East End of Newcastle. Novellus Castellum was also part of the Curatorial Biennale at Apex Arts, New York, USA. Aug 2007. (www.novelluscastellum.blogspot.com)

In 2006 he was also a co-founder of Newcastle’s The Star and Shadow, Cinema. This is one of the leading UK independent cinemas, which has been written about extensively in the UK national press. As well as being instrumental in the set up of this venue, He also, over 5 years, curated here, a series of artist video anthologies, film events and exhibitions. (www.starandshadow.org.uk)

In the UK, he has worked as a Lecturer at Gateshead College (www.gateshead.ac.uk) and a Fellow at Northumbria University (www.northumbria.ac.uk) and as a Freelance Arts Facilitator at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. (www.baltic.art)

Internationally Johnson-Perkins has recently worked in the Middle East as the Course Director of BA Fine Art, at the Scientific College of Design, Oman (www.scd.edu.om), 2011/12. Between 2012/14 as the Pathway Leader for the Foundation Fine Art course and BA FIne Art Lecturer at the British Higher School of Art and Design, a.k.a. Universal University, Moscow, Russia (britishdesign.ru/en).

He is currenly the Academic Content Team Leader for Humanities and Social Sciences (CELE) and Module Convener for the Art and Design courses at Nottingham University (www.nottingham.edu.cn/en), Ningbo, China. He has also recently been a visiting lecturer at Xiamen University, China (www.art.xmu.edu.cn).

Exhibitions
Selected Solo

2018
Hula, The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China
2017
Indefinite Memories, Liangzhu Culture Centre, Hangzhou, China (Curated by Zhanna Khromykh)
2015
Please Wait Whilst…Monkey Magic Sings Chinese Covers of 80’s Pop Classics in Times Square, The Chinese European Art Centre, Xiamen, China
2014
The Starry Sky Lights Up Because of You, The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China
2013
The Great Battle, ARTPLAY, Roland Academy, Moscow, Russia
2012
Back to the Future, Arts Student League of New York, USA
2011
The Box, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales, UK
The Sturovo Super Hero Society, The Bridge Guard Residency, Štúrovo, Slovakia
2010
New Works, The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy
Who Killed Top of The Pops, Nospace, Bangkok, Thailand
Robot Invasion, The Public, West Bromwich, UK
2009
Retro Robot, Kube Gallery (Now Poole Museum), Poole, Dorset, UK
Pixel Talk, Art Gene, Barrow-in-Furnace, Cumbria, UK
Meteoric Toy, DLI Musuem Gallery, Durham, UK
2008
How Does it Feel?, Nospace, Bangkok, Thailand
50 Robots, Exhibit Gallery, London, UK
Robot Dreams, Red Gallery, Hull, UK
2007
Turn me On, Waygood Gallery (Now BALTIC39), Newcastle, UK
2006
Jet Pack, The UK Arts Council, Newcastle, UK

Selected Group

2019
Rolling Snowball, Organised by Chinese European Arts Centre
AMNUA, The Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, Nanjing, China
2017
The Quickest Distance is Not Always Via a Straight Line, The Wrong Bienalle
The Reserrection of Cosmicman (With Dina Johnson-Perkins), The City Gallery, Peterborough, UK
2016
BodySpace, Hangzhou Public Library, China
2015
I AM, 9 Arbat St, Moscow, Russia
2014
DIY Reality, 17 Nastavichesky, Moscow, Russia
When Suspicions are Becoming the Norm, FABRIKA, in association with Triumph Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2013
The Legacy of Emily Harvey, Curated by Berty Skuber & Henry Martin, Emily Harvey Foundation Archive Exhibition, Venice Biennale
Papyri Guestbook and Similar Departures, Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy
2012
KC Dunaj, Bratislava, Slovakia
Strange Objects on a Lawn, Scientific College of Design, Muscat, Oman
Dinefwr Festival, Gwly Lendyyiaeth, Wales
Portrait to Portrait, (Antonio Nodar), Vol. 2, Patan Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phelwidek Photo 12, Artbázis Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
2011
Bus Stop Venice, curated by Elysium Gallery, Venice Biennale, Galleria Perela, Italy
Bus Stop, Elysium Gallery, Swansea, Wales, UK
Sturovo Super Hero Society, The Hay-On-Wye Festival, Wales, UK
2010
Athens Photo Festival 10 (In collaboration with Domosthenes Agrafiotis), Athens, Greece
Wolf and Badger/Salon Contemporary, Selfridges Department Store, Oxford St, London, UK
2009
Building with Colour, Curated by Professor Helen Baker, Gallery North, Northumbria University, UK
Greatings Programs, (In collaboration with Conor Lawless), Tron, Glasgow, UK
Digital Showcase, Austin Museum of Digital Art, Austin, Texas, USA
Attitude, Center for Contemporary Public Arts, Bitola, Macedonia
2008
Video Art and Architecture VI, National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Illuminators International, (In collaboration with Conor Lawless), Yekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport, Russia
Urban Identity, Monkey town, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Harry Smith Anthology Remixed, (In collaboration with Matthew Cowan), Curated by Rebecca Shatwell, The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), Glasgow, UK
Robots, Durham International Festival of Art, Durham, UK
2007
Digital Long Island Media Festival, IMAC Theater, New York, USA
The International Experimental Film Festival, Florean Museum, Baia Mare, Romania
Video Art & Architecture III, The Cultural Communication Centre of Klaipeda, Lithuania
Video Art & Architecture II, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
2006
First Play Berlin, Hau 2, Berlin, Germany
2005
Nostos, (In collaboration with Nicholas John Montgomery), Northern Lights Film Festival, Side Cinema, Newcastle, UK
2004
Lux Artist Film, The Royal College, London, UK
Video Art & Architecture I, Culteral el Molino Atomic, Barcelona, Spain
2003
Crossovers Japan, Curated by Tomomi Iguchi, Toyota Museum of Art, International House, Kyoto, Japan

Residencies
2019
The British School at Rome, Italy
2017
The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy (Third Appointment)
2015
The Chinese European Art Centre, Xiamen, China
2014
The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy (Second Appointment)
2012
The Art Student League of New York, USA
The Kathmadu Contemporary Art Centre at the Patan Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal
2011
Coachwerks, Brighton, UK
The Bridge Guard Residency, Štúrovo, Slovakia
2010
The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice, Italy
2007
Rednile, Exhibition – I Won the Maths Prize at School (In Collaboration with Conor Lawless), Sunderland, UK
2003
Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, Japan

Presentations
2018
The Chinese Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Xiamen University, China
2016
The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China
2015
Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
2014
Yale University (NUS), Singapore
2012
The Art Student League of New York, USA
2011
The Bridge Guard, Štúrovo, Slovakia
2009
Building With Colour Symposium, Northumbria University, UK
2002
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK

Curation
2007
Apexart, Curatorial Biennial, New York, USA
2006-7
Novellus Castellum, Newcastle, UK

Bibliography
2019
10 Years, BSR Film, Italy, Margin Productions, November
2018
Murze Magazine. Issue 3, November
2017
The Quickest Distance is Not Always Via a Straight Line, The Wrong Bienalle, Catalogue
Rapsodia Magazine, Italy, Fall/December ISBN 2532-1838
In Conversation with Dr Helen Adkins Film, The Emily Harvey Foundation, July
Indefinite Memories Film, China, Margin Productions, July
A5 Magazine, August
United Projects Newsletter, August/September
2016
International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovative Technology
ISSN 2313-3759, Vol. 3 No. 4, April
Ningbo Focus Magazine, April
2015
Xiamen News, China, Website 28/7/2015
Ningbo University Press, China, May
2012
PTC2, Serbian TV
2011
Wave Radio, Czech Republic, March
2010
Athens Photo Festival 10, Greece, Exhibition Catalogue
Digimag Magazine, Italy, May
BBC West Midland TV, ‘Today Program’ News Feature, UK, TX 9/2/10
2009
‘Teaching out of the box‘, Teachers TV – TX 2,3,4/6/09
Supersweet Magazine, UK, February
Building with Colour, Catalogue, Gallery North, Northumbria University,
ISBN 0-9561206-0-1
The Guardian, UK, 11/1/09
The Crack Magazine, UK, 1/1/09
2008
The Metro, UK, 9/5/08
BK Magazine, Thailand, 8/5/08
Relavant Magazine, Barcelona, Spain, March
Fefe Magazine, 6th Edition, Rome, Italy, March
art, art, art Magazine, UK, March
2007
Sunday New York Times, USA, 10/11/07
Sunday Long Island Newsday, P3, USA, 10/11/07
The Chronicle, UK, 18/5/07
The Guardian, March
2002
The Times, UK, Critics Choice, 10/7/02
Billy Connolly’s World Tour, BBC 1 – TX 01/04/02
Metro, UK, Art Review, Lee Fenwich, 17/6/02

Awards and Commissions
2019
NWCDTP Research Program Award, The British School at Rome, Italy
2018
Hula, The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, FHSS Play Conference Commission
2011
Megablocks HQ Canada, Mega Paintings Commission
2010
Arts Council International Residency Grant, UK
2009
Cecil Sharp House Megapole Installation, London, UK
2008
Antony Gormley, The Angel of the North 10th Aniversary Commission, Baltic Gallery for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK
2007
Arts Council Independent Artist Grant
2006
Arts Council Independent Research Grant, Novellus Castellum
2005
Northern Film and Media, Travel Grant
2003
Arts Council International Residency Grant
2002
Arts Council Independent Artist Grant

Relevant work
2014-
Academic Content Team Leader for Humanities and Social Sciences (CELE)
Art and Design Convener, The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China
2012-14
BA FIne Art Lecturer/Pathway Leader, Foundation Fine Art, The British Higher School of Art and Design, Moscow, Russia
2011-12
Director of BA Fine Art, Scientific College of Design, Oman
2006-10
Freelance Artist, Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK
2008-10
Lecturer, Art Foundation and Interactive media, Gateshead College, UK
2006-07
Director, Novellus Castellum, Exhibition and Project Space, Newcastle, UK
2006
Co-Founder, The Star and Shadow Cinama, Newcastle
2005-06
Lecturer, Tyne Metropolitan College, Newcastle, UK
2004
Visiting Lecturer MA, Northumbria University, UK
Visiting Lecturer BA, Newcastle University, UK
2002-03
New Media Fellow & Lecturer, Northumbria University, UK
2001
Internship, David Nash, Wales, UK
1998-99
Internship, Kettles Yard Gallery, Cambridge, UK

Work in Public Collections

Johnson-Perkins has works in many private and public collections in: China, Oman, USA, Slovakia, Italy, Canada and the UK

Artist statement

Links

http://johnson-perkins.co.uk/about.html