James Rhodes is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Newcastle NSW who works with photo media, painting, and sculpture. In 2022, Rhodes earned a Ph.D. that examined the meaning of materiality in photographic practice. Currently, he is a lecturer in Photography at The University of Newcastle and a teacher at Newcastle Art School. Rhodes holds a position on the board at Newcastle Art Space while working on the art installation teams at Newcastle Art Gallery, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, and Gosford Regional Art Gallery.
His artistic practice investigates the inherent illusion embedded in the memetic arts. A nuanced exploration that reveals his unique perception of the world around him. Rhodes incorporates his acute awareness of time and memory, leaving subtle symbols encouraging viewers to delve into their relationship with existence. Although his work is rooted in photography and its image-focused language, he uses the material aspects of his work to support his concepts. Rhodes achieves his conceptual goals by hand colouring silver gelatin prints of the Australian landscape, oil paintings, and abstract sculptures.
Rhodes has been a finalist in many art prizes including the Waverley Art Prize (2024), Gosford Art Prize (2023/2024), Muswellbrook Art Prize (2022), and Kings School Art Prize (2021). He holds solo exhibitions yearly in Galleries such as PhotoAccess in Canberra (2024), Straitjacket Art Space in Newcastle (2023), and the University of Newcastle Gallery (2021).
