James Nares
1953–

Introduction

Born in London, active in New York City since 1974. He was a part of the East Village art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and made several films in this milieu from 1978-1981. He played guitar in the Contortions and percussion in the Del-Byzanteens, two downtown 'No Wave' groups active at this time, and founded CoLab (Collaborative Projects, Inc.). His paintings are abstract, usually large-scale, consisting of lone gestural strokes achieved with brushes the artist fabricates himself. He has also used mechanical means for creating works, including a rotating drum on which he attaches supports for drawings. In 2019 Nares revealed that he is transitioning to a female identity.

Country of birth

United Kingdom

Roles

Artist, cinematographer, musician, painter, photographer, video artist

ULAN identifier

500110769

Names

James Nares, Jamie Nares, Jim Nares

View the full Getty record

Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed November 9, 2024.


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

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