"Operating in the vestibule between several areas peddling a deluxe amalgamation."
Titles:
Contemporary Artist, Performance Artist, Experimental Poet, Theatre Director, Arts Organiser, Identity Politician, Private Investigator, Solicitor, Actor
James Alexander McKenzie is a cross-disciplinary artist from Edinburgh. In his agile creative practice, he blurs the boundaries of poetry, theatre, and spoken word; and also utilises performance art, painting, installation, and sculpture. He claims to have an expanded understanding of artistic disciplines and an awareness of alternative hybrid possibilities, and understands all his activity as situated in a contemporary art context. In 2023, James founded Fallacy Worldwide, a shapeshifting vehicle which moves between classifications as ‘arts-organisation’ and ‘theatre company’. He describes it as, “a vehicle to do things.”
Wry humour; parody; absurdity; obscenity; self-absorption; the use of metatheatrical devices (self referentiality; drawing attention to its construction and artificiality); reflections on, and references to art; and references to Edinburgh – these are key to James’ writing and performance work. His live performances usually take place in specially created installations that combine sculpture and mixed media painting. His creative explorations are characterised by intuition, spontaneity, and experimentation.
An ‘anti-aesthetics’ attitude is key to James' practice. In his work, he challenges typical ideas of beauty, and notions of craftsmanship and appropriate ways to handle media. Lived experiences and daily observations inform James’ work. Other sources include books, art exhibitions, music, film, theatre, and folklore. Collage is essential to both his writing and painting practices.
Early in his career as an artist, James worked with children and people with disabilities, often leading art workshops. James found that the participants were often unconstrained in their approach to the exercises and he found this, and the resulting astonishing outputs, inspiring. The experience taught James to be discerning of supposed 'correct' ways of handing artistic media, and he learned to foster a more playful and exploratory approach to art making.
James has exhibited, performed publicly, and lead ‘cut-up’ poetry workshops at galleries including The Royal Scottish Academy, The Scottish National Gallery, Embassy Gallery, Generator Projects, Summerhall, Sett Studios, Volk Gallery, Gravity Gallery, and Orkney’s Pier Arts Centre. He has been the recipient of several awards for his work including a VACMA award (2023), a bursary from The RSA Residencies for Scotland scheme (2019), and The RSA Carnegie Scholarship for ‘painting’ for his work in RSA New Contemporaries (2018). His poems have appeared in Outcrop Poetry, Wrong Directions, New River Press, Littoral Magazine, Polemical Zine, and he has self-published several pamphlets. He graduated from Dundee University in 2017 in Art and Philosophy and moved to London for a period to study at Goldsmiths University on the MFA Fine Art programme between 2021 and 2022. James has completed residencies in Orkney with The Pier Arts Centre in partnership with The RSA (2019), in Collemacchia, Italy with The Museum of Loss and Renewal (2023), and in North Adams, Massachusetts with Walkaway House (2024). His work is held in a number of public and private collections.
Contact
mckenzie_james@hotmail.co.uk
Education
2021-2022: MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths University (studies interrupted)
2014-2017: Art and Philosophy BA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee (graduated with honours first class)
2012-2013: General Foundation at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh
Awards
2023: VACMA Award
2021: Department of Art Bursary, Goldsmiths University
2021: Scottish International Educational Trust grant
2019: £5000 awarded from RSA Residencies for Scotland scheme to undertake a residency at the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney to focus on a collaborative project with Daniel O'Dempsey
2018: RSA New Contemporaries Carnegie Scholarship for painting
2017: RSA New Contemporaries 2018 Selected Artist
2017: James Guthrie Orchar Memorial Art Prize, Dundee University
Selected Exhibitions, Performances, Workshops and Residencies
2024: Feature poet at Rock the Boat (Push the Boat Out offshoot open-mic), Summerhall, Edinburgh
2024: Jokerman, film premiere, book launch, art exhibition, St Margaret’s House, Edinburgh
2024: Jimmy Loves America and America Loves Jimmy, exhibition, performance, artist residency, Gravity Gallery, North Adams, Massachussetts
2024: Flawd Foiks, Sett Studios’ multi-venue arts event with costumed procession, Edinburgh
2024: JEST FEST, pair of pop up performances presented by Sett Studios and part of EAF 2024, The Scotsman Steps (Part I) and The National Monument, Calton Hill (Part II), Edinburgh
2023: Legends in the Game, two-person exhibition with William Sherval, Whitespace Gallery, Edinburgh
2023: Flaw Foik, Sett Studios’ multi-venue arts event with costumed procession, Edinburgh
2023:Taking Time, artist residency with The Museum of Loss and Renewal,Collemacchia
2023: Decoy House 2.0, two-person performance and installation art event with Astrid Batts, Sett Studios, Edinburgh
2023: Jimmy Mack Follies Variation, Embassy Gallery’s Members Show, Edinburgh
2023: Jimmy Mack Follies Variation, GENERATORprojects’ Members Show, Dundee
2022: Decoy House, open house DIY exhibition with Damien Thirst, Edinburgh
2022: Jimmy Mack Follies, avant-garde poetry-play, seven performances, part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Natural Food Kafe, Edinburgh
2022: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 4, collaborative performance with Daniel O'Dempsey, event accompanies work in Scotland Small? exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2022: (With Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn) Premiere screening of Glen Thomson's documentary film Orcadia: A Fenris and Ragnar Story and Q&A, event accompanies work in Scotland Small? exhibition, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre at The Scottish National Gallery/Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2022: (With Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn) Scotland Small?, new bodies of work from eight artists supported by the RSA Residencies for Scotland programme, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2022: I'll Have Another, live performance at The Grass is Always Greener on the Sa-Lawn opening, Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh
2021: Tides that Bind, Tides that Break, poetry reading at private view, Aberdour
2021: Farewell My Darlings, theatrical poetry reading with visual art backdrop (solo show), St. Margaret's House, Edinburgh
2021: Sum Poems, 50 poetry tape-cassettes, Volk Gallery, Dundee
2021: The Soapworks Residencies, two day mini-residency and live performance with Hidden Door, Edinburgh
2021: Something’s Brewing…, virtual experimental poetry workshop for MFA students of the Royal College of Art, London
2021: Life After Art School, virtual artist talk for students of Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen
2020: Nobility Pursuit, solo show at the G16 Exhibition Space, St. Margaret's House, Edinburgh
2020: Live spoken word performance at Lewis Bissett and Jamie Watt's exhibition Beta Blockers exhibition opening party, Forest Café, Edinburgh
2020: Academy Late, live spoken word performance at the launch event for the new RSA Salon membership scheme, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2019-20: Alba down to Nippon, multi-media artwork including theatrical poetry reading, OPEN SSA+VAS, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 3, collaborative exhibition with Daniel O'Dempsey, WASPS Studios, Stromness, Orkney
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 2, collaborative performance with Daniel O'Dempsey and Clair Westrop, Stromness Academy, Orkney
2019: Fenris Wolf and Ragnar Thorfinn Act 1, collaborative performance with Daniel O'Dempsey and Eric Linklater, Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney
2019: Experimental Poetry Workshop, part of Piergroup, The Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney
2019: Red Lite Radio, podcast with Daniel O'Dempsey, Orkney
2019: PEPSI 2, group show curated by McKenzie, St. Margaret's House, Edinburgh
2019: Theatrical spoken word performance at Michael Kay Terrence's The Marks to Prove It private view, Summerhall, Edinburgh
2019: JET BABY, theatrical poetry reading, part of Annuale Festival 2019, Heart of Midlothian, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
2019: PEPSI GENESIS, group show curated by McKenzie, Dock Street Studios, Dundee
2019: The Assassination of Dr. Queso Empanada, live theatre at SA-LON SUCKERS,Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh
2019: Round One, poetry reading at private view, The Bridewell Studios, Liverpool
2018-19: CONCORD NUDIST, theatrical storytelling at the SSA 121st Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2018: ECSTASY AB INITIO, unauthorized poetry reading, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
2018: Live Music// Jam Session// Poetry ETC, The George Orwell, Dundee
2018: RSA New Contemporaries, exhibition and live spoken word performance, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2017: RSA Open Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy
2017: Best of Degree Show, Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow
2017: Annual Art, Design & Architecture Degree Show, Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee
2017: Trans-Fixed Live Performance Event, generatorPROJECTS, Dundee
2016: ATTRIBUTES, Room 601, Duncan of Jordanstone
2016: Multi Exhibition, Matthew Entrance Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone
2016: Art & Philosophy’s First Social Event 16/17, Matthew Entrance Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone
2015: Culloden Viaduct Exhibition, Culloden Battlefield Centre, Inverness
Selected Publications
2024: Jimmy Mack the Shapeshifting Jester, Red Hot Pecker Press, Edinburgh
2023: Outcrop Poetry Issue 2, Outcrop Poetry Magazine, Edinburgh
2023: Wrong Directions Issue 1, Typewronger Books, Edinburgh
2022: Bollock Naked by Dr. Jock Howie, self-published zine, Edinburgh
2021: Grace and Consistency, riso-printed pamphlet with Yalla Riso, published in Dundee and distributed in Edinburgh
2021: Littoral Magazine Issue 3: Spring Equinox, online magazine
2020: All You Can Eat, collaborative zine curated and edited by Alex Weir
2019: Alba down to Nippon, self-published zine, Edinburgh
2019: Polemical Zine Issue 11: Social, online zine, Canada
2019: New River Press Yearbook 2018-19, New River Press, Fitrovia, London
2018: The Celestial Midnight Bar, self-published, Edinburgh
2018: Untitled Poetry Collection, self-published, Dundee
2017: Prose Poems, self-published, Dundee