OPEN
Launched by interdisciplinary artist James Williams III, OPEN is an evolving entity engaged in developing universal approaches that contribute towards humanity via objects, products, and services. Whether it be art making, design, or strategy; OPEN serves as a space where Williams can conceptualize and actualize under a code of principles that address wellness, community, and sustainability.
by James Williams III
“..Whole, within.”
ABOUT
James Williams III (b. 1992) is a Virginia-born interdisciplinary artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. Williams became particularly engaged with his studio practice in 2016. Just before moving to Atlanta in 2018, Williams adopted abstraction as his primary mode in efforts to abandon the representational and push the boundaries of language, mood, and form. Since his adaptation of abstraction, Williams’ work has been recognized in various publications including Architectural Digest, POPEYE Magazine, and GQ.
In the process of operating between art and design, both practices have allowed Williams to channel his voice through various other fields including studio furniture, art direction, as well as creative strategy. Although self-taught, Williams has received guidance from accomplished fine artists over the years. He had the opportunity to work under Lawrence “Naturel” Atoigue during 2018 as studio engineer and studio assistant to Basil Watson during 2019. The time Williams spent in each studio was integral to understanding his approach and how to navigate a dynamic interdisciplinary practice.
STATEMENT
I’ve always been intrigued by the nuances of the human condition, the intrinsic symmetry between our journeys, and how our individual narratives amalgamate into one macrocosm. My body of work spans across sculpture, painting, installation, performance, and spoken word. My practice engages in art making as a meditative mode and examines spirituality, wayfinding, emotional health, and their relation to identity to further explore the expansiveness of the human experience.
I source inspiration by investigating the intersections between my autobiographical memory and the ethnographical accounts found in my orbit. This qualitative element of my practice is heavily inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s immersive approach to anthropology. My research practice aims to discover new methods of preserving oral tradition and representing overlooked perspectives and dynamics. Through abstraction I’ve developed a layered approach to my current two-dimensional works that reflects multiple intuitive gestures and intentional expressions coexisting simultaneously in order to convey evidence of a more inclusive narrative beyond the conventional. Drawing on similar notions as the action painters from the mid 1900’s, my visual language is comprised of rhythmic and structured mark making that strives to pronounce the emotional dance necessary in actualizing one’s position; literally and spiritually. The somewhat blindfolded approach towards the preliminary layer of my work nods to Surrealist Automatism but I’m more concerned with channeling a communal, ancestral, and cosmic essence rather than the unconscious.
My choice of material varies but I generally gravitate towards mediums that allow me to express a wide range of movement, liberation, and warmth in collaboration with processes that I can’t controlled within my practice. The main consistency within my material vocabulary is that there is generally some remnants of a previous work in the following one, this is done to reinforce the concept of “ancestral theme” throughout my entire practice. The works I produce interpret the multidimensionality of how we navigate emotion and space in order to encourage the embracing of our individualism while examining our collectivity. Ultimately, I aim to utilize rhythm, materiality, and communal theme to make space for refuge, reflection, and balance for myself and others to engage in during these divisive times.