Back in Copenhagen for his sixth exhibition with V1 Gallery, Todd James will present Warm Welcome at Eighteen Gallery this Friday, February 28, 2020. The new body of work, consisting of a series of new bold and vibrant acrylics and oils, is described as "an homage to the importance of the culture that shapes us as individuals." 

Over the last few years, James has adopted exceptionally bright flat visual language reminiscent of collage assemblage. Wielding clear brush moves with a lush and saturated palette of primary colors, he portrays everything from portraiture to still lifes, landscapes, interiors, and fantasy imagery. For Warm Welcome, he returns to themes from his last Copenhagen presentation, delves deeper into the landscape of interior spaces. After focusing on the physicality of space and items within his last show, the new works expand on this format to pay the tribute to the inspiration and creative fuel of the pre-Internet era.

The latest paintings capture personal spaces, living rooms, bedrooms, and teenage shrines, where iconography of a certain era can be discerned once the eye accustoms to his clever rendering of shapes and perspectives. Compressed into loose silhouettes of solid color, the abstracted forms reveal delights like iconic album covers, posters, magazines, pots, plants, bongs, furniture, and architectural curiosities. As human figures blend into the fragmented vignette, the scenes focus on an ambiance that pays "a tribute to the way we treasured culture and the circulation of it in pre-Internet days." Along with the vigorous colorful forms, the exhibition includes a new series of black and white images that take James's practice one step closer to abstraction. Perceiving the flash-lit setting, the viewer can indulge in an unexpected peek into a mysterious personal space where shapes and volumes become mysterious, but equally captivating. –Sasha Bogojev