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James Coleman

Born 1941, Ballaghaderreen (Irland)
Currently lives and works in Dublin (Irland).

A conceptual artist associated with the history of the projected still image in contemporary art, Coleman began developing his reflections on image and sound in the 1970s through audiovisual installations, mainly through projections of slides on walls, combined with a soundtrack on which one or more narrators can be heard. 

Drawing on popular culture and literature, these are often cryptic stories, with an intentional disconnect between the image, sound and text, which engages the spectator and their capacity for interpretation. In each installation, the projection mechanisms are left openly on display, thereby forming an integral part of the work, following the minimalistic line of Dan Graham. The act of perception is ultimately the primary subject of his work, which underlines the role of the spectator in creating the meaning of the work.

Fly (1972), Box (ahhareturnabout) (1977) and Lapsus Exposure (1992-1994), which feature in the Fondation Cartier’s collection, form an important part of Coleman’s body of work.

Events