COLLISION COURSE

February James

10 November - 8 December, 2018

Band of Vices presents its fourth solo show of the year, February James: Collision Course. The show features a collection of the artist's oil pastel and watercolors on wood, board and paper.

February James is a master storyteller as she takes us on an emotive journey with her imaginary characters. She creates her vivid images using a bold, opulent and decadent color palette rich in shades of reds, blues and greens and have had her style of using color compared to the works of the 20th century Fauvist master Henri Matisse. As a former makeup artist whose job it was to hide imperfections, James does the opposite and finds beauty in those imperfections, as they are a better indication of finding the true subjects hiding behind their makeup. James employs smudges to blur and distort the surfaces of her images, all in an effort to show that striving for perfection is futile.

A DC native who calls Los Angeles home, her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad, as well as in television broadcasts and print publications. Earlier this year, celebrity DJ and recording artist Diplo featured her work prominently as the cover art for his single “California”. February James has amassed an impressive list of collectors throughout the world.

In the gallery annex , Band of Vices introduces AM DeBrincat whose work blends painting, digital photography, and printmaking into layered works on canvas that explore how we construct identity in an online world. Born in San Francisco, but now based in Brooklyn, AM has shown internationally, including in Mexico, Europe, Canada, Australia, and throughout the US. She has received grants from the Durst Foundation and the Deming Fund, and been artist-in-residence at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Chashama, and the Wassaic Project.