James Tylor
James Tylor’s work focuses largely on Australia's 19th century history and its continual effect on present day issues surrounding cultural identity.
James Tylor (Possum) was born in Mildura, Victoria. He spent his childhood in Menindee in far west NSW, and then moved to Kununurra and Derby in the Kimberley region of WA in his adolescent years. He currently lives and works in Adelaide SA.
James uses a hybrid of analogue and digital photographic techniques to create contemporary artworks that reference Australian society and history. The processes he employs are the physical manipulation of digital photographic printing, such as the manual hand-colouring of digital prints or the application of physical interventions to the surfaces of digital prints. James also uses the historical 19th century photographic process of the Becquerel Daguerreotype with the aid of modern technology to create new and contemporary Daguerreotypes. Photography was historically used to document Aboriginal culture and the European colonisation of Australia. James is interested in these unique photographic processes to re-contextualise the representation of Australian society and history.
In 2011 he completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Photography) at the South Australian School of Art in Adelaide and in 2012 he completed Honours in Fine Arts (Photography) at the Tasmanian School of Art in Hobart. He returned to Adelaide in 2013 and completed a Masters in Visual Art (Photography) at the South Australian School of Art.
James exhibits extensively, presenting solo shows in 2016 at the Embassy of Australia in Berlin, Alaska Projects, Stills Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Photography, and Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia. Recent group exhibitions include TarraWarra Biennial (2016); Over The Fence, UQ Art Museum (2016); The Alchemists, Australian Centre for Photography (2015); Skin Off Our Time, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (2015); Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Visual Arts Festival, Art Gallery of South Australia (2015); and Concrete, Istanbul Biannual, Turkey (2015). He is currently showing as part of Blak Mirror at Gallery Lane Cove Sydney until 29 July; The Dust Never Settles at UQ Art Museum until 30 July; Resolution: New Indigenous Photomedi NGA travelling exhibition currently at the Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs until 13 August; and Our Mob on tour, currently at Coorong Art Gallery Tailem Bend SA until 13 August. Upcoming shows include Speaking of History at Bett Gallery Hobart Tas 11-28 August; and Ballarat International Foto Biennale at The Mining Exchange, Ballarat Vic 19 August to 17 September 2017.
He has been a finalist in the Ramsay Art Prize currently showing at the AGSA until 27 July 2017; Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize: Emerging (2017); Bowness Photography Prize (2016);the Fleurieu Art Prize (2016) and 33rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (2016); and Winner of the Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize (2013). Tyler’s work is represented in many collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Monash University Museum of Art, Shepparton Art Museum, Artbank, Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, USA, and the Australian Embassy, Washington DC.
In this video James chats to NAVA about his work and practice, the way art is able to communicate ideas and experiences, and the impact that winning the Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize in 2013 has had on his career.
Video Production by Dominic Kirkwood.
Photo: James Tylor 2012, Self Portrait Becquerel Daguerreotype, 4x5inches.
