James Webb

James Webb

BornNationalityBased In
1975South AfricanN/A
Biography

James Webb is an interdisciplinary artist who creates installations that poetically digest themes of faith, deep-time, nature and industry. Working in a minimalist tradition, Webb seeks out peculiar phrases, histories or objects, and puts these references under a microscope in a gallery space. Obscuration is frequently used by Webb to create a sense of revelation. For example, statues might be placed in vitrines made of fluted glass, giving them a fractured, ethereal quality. Neon and sound are also commonly deployed in Webb’s installations, shedding light or amplified sound onto particular subjects. Normative relationships and behaviours are also frequently disrupted by Webb. For example, speakers might interview inanimate objects such as crude oil, and pose questions to this earthly substance. Past projects have also engaged with literature, cinema, advertising and astronomy. What runs as a constant throughout Webb’s work is a palpable sense of curiosity. With an earnestness to greater understand narratives beyond a human perspective. Webb continues to make work which realigns our priorities and unravels cemented tales. ...

Selected Artworks
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (13 Views of the Moon)
James Webb
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (13 Views of the Moon), 2019
210 x 200 x 14.5cm
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (5 paths through the dark)
James Webb
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (5 paths through the dark), 2019
20 x 60 x 10.5cm
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Solve, dissolve, revolve)
James Webb
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Solve, dissolve, revolve), 2019
33 x 15 x 15.5cm
The Black Passage
James Webb
The Black Passage, 2006
2000cm
There’s No Place Called Home
James Webb
There’s No Place Called Home, 2004
A series of personal questions addressed to five litres of Nigerian crude oil
James Webb
A series of personal questions addressed to five litres of Nigerian crude oil, 2020
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
James Webb
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, 2010
This is where I leave you (Madonna of the suffering. The origin of the universe)
James Webb
This is where I leave you (Madonna of the suffering. The origin of the universe), 2020
156 x 30 x 30cm
This is where I leave you (Radiant guide. Equanimityin the harsh storm)
James Webb
This is where I leave you (Radiant guide. Equanimityin the harsh storm), 2020
161 x 46 x 64cm
This is where I leave you (A map of the heavens; manmade, fallible. A tower of celestial Babel)
James Webb
This is where I leave you (A map of the heavens; manmade, fallible. A tower of celestial Babel), 2020
176 x 64 x 64cm
This is where I leave you (Mother of the lost; the one who hears the cries of the world)
James Webb
This is where I leave you (Mother of the lost; the one who hears the cries of the world), 2020
156 x 30 x 30cm
Untitled (with the sound of its own making)
James Webb
Untitled (with the sound of its own making), 2016
300 x 500 x 10cm
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Towards something... not a thing)
James Webb
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Towards something... not a thing), 2019
37 x 15 x 15cm
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Into something rich and strange)
James Webb
I do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand worlds (Into something rich and strange), 2023
30.5 x 8 x 8cm
Gallery Representation
Biennals
Sharjah Biennale2017 - Sharjah
Prospect New Orleans2017 - New Orleans
Bienal de La Habana2015 - Havana
Venice Biennial2013 - Venice
Marrakech Biennale2009
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