Catherine James

Catherine James’ practice is grounded in print and combines traditional techniques with digital technologies to produce works made with paper, textiles and film. This sequence of work explores the material properties of grids, using archive documents and photographs as starting points.  Each document or photograph reveals a previously hidden detail about the life of one of the women in Catherine’s family tree.  Mark-making re-obscures these secrets.  The documents are then reassembled as grids, before, finally, each grid is disrupted.

Catherine trained as an academic Obstetrician and Gynaecologist before completing a Fine Art Foundation diploma (Morley College) and an MA in the History of Art (Courtauld Institute of Art). Both clinical and historical training influence her creative work. Catherine is currently working on a London Arts and Humanities Partnership (AHRC) project focused on early printed material in the rare book collection at the Royal College of Physicians.