James Cook
James' sculptures are inspired by the themes of love and relationships.
He often draws on Greek mythology for inspiration, which gives his work a timeless quality.
His richly layered and intellectually stimulating sculptures tend to feature figures in various states of intimacy, exploring the complexities of human relationships.
By creating fragmented human forms, James creates space for the viewer's imagination to fill in the gaps themselves.
Available Works
Artist Statement
My work grapples with the complexity of the human form and strives to elicit emotions through the universal language of expression. I aim to create artworks that are aesthetically pleasing but also contain layers of depth.
I initially had a focus on pure realism but I now aim to create works that sit slightly outside the bounds of reality.
The fragmented nature of my sculptures aim to captive the audience by allowing space for them to fill in the gaps themselves.
I have worked with oil paint and resin but bronze sculpture is the medium with which I identify most closely.
I am attracted to the permanence of bronze and the intricacy of the casting process.
Biography
James Cook is a South African artist who creates bronze sculptures. His artistic journey started with pencil drawings of African animals, which he enjoyed creating with his father when he was young. After exploring various mediums, James found that bronze sculpture was his true calling.
James is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, where he studied Finance and Accounting and has a masters degree in risk management of financial markets. However, he has always been drawn to the art world and has developed a passion for bronze sculpture.
James' sculptures are inspired by the themes of love and relationships. He often draws on Greek mythology for inspiration, which gives his work a timeless quality. His sculptures tend to feature figures in various states of intimacy, exploring the complexities of human relationships. James aims to incorporate multiple figures in this work which creates an element of storytelling and capture moments of passion and connection. Through his work, he invites his audience to reflect on their own experiences and to find meaning in the beauty of the human form.
Although James initially focused on pure realism in his sculptures, he found it started to become limiting. Over time, he began to experiment with new techniques and approaches, seeking to bring a greater sense of depth and complexity to his work. He began to incorporate elements of abstraction into his sculptures. He found that this allowed him to create sculptures that were more challenging and thought-provoking, asking the viewer to work harder to understand and engage with the work. This approach has become a hallmark of his style, making his sculptures not just beautiful, but also richly layered and intellectually stimulating. By creating fragmented human forms, James creates space for the viewer's imagination to fill in the gaps themselves.
James aims to create artwork that is both technically skilled and modern, often experimenting with the interplay between realism and abstraction, organic and geometric shapes, and detail and simplicity. Each of his artworks is a signed and limited edition sculpture, making them exclusive and unique.
Soul Mates Bronze Sculpture
Suspense Bronze Sculpture
