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James Leonard
  • Painting, Drawings & Print
    • For the Wall
    • For the Hand & Shelf
    • Figureworks
  • Actions
    • Performance
    • Intervention
    • Social Engagement
    • Collaboration
  • Sculpture & Installation
    • Museum & Gallery Works
    • Site Specific & Temporary Works
  • Audio & Video
    • Mixed Media
    • Single Channel Video
  • Info
    • About
    • Contact

+About the Artist

  • James Leonard artist. Photo credit Wendy Whitesell.


    James Leonard is a Brooklyn-based artist. His work ranges from figure drawings and handheld objects to videos, installations, and socially engaged performance pieces. 

    Leonard’s art often examines complex intersections: where agency butts up against impotence, where alarm gives birth to growth, and where optimism coexists with grieving. He hopes that his works can serve as a form of wayfinding, helping others find beauty and joy while navigating the challenges of our twenty-first century existence.

    Exhibitions and appearances include Queens Museum, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Wasserman Projects in Detroit, the Delaware Art Museum, and MASS MoCA. His work has been supported by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Jersey City Parks Coalition, and the Joseph Robert Foundation. Leonard received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and has an MFA from the University of Michigan. He has presented as visiting artist at institutions including Cornell, Harvard, and American University.

James Leonard - A timelapse video of the three week long performance piece, A Kiss for Luck
A Kiss for Luck: Timelapse Display terms upon request
James Leonard - Untitled Water Balloon Portrait Series detail of a man right after being hit in the face with a water balloon; water ricochets off his forehead
Untitled Water Balloon Portraits Display terms upon request
James Leonard - Subduction is a dream-like film montage of a dog, cliffside, beach, and ocean, filmed in Northern California
Subduction Display terms upon request

James Leonard - A slow motion video of firecrackers exploding, titled snap!
snap! Display terms upon request
James Leonard - Fetch, a silent film of a dog on the beach
Fetch Display terms upon request
James Leonard - Bend, a video depicting Chicago traffic flow
Bend Display terms upon request

James Leonard -graphia, video of artist's hand filling screen with pencil markings
-graphia Display terms upon request
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