James Beckett

Selected Works

Video

James Beckett – The Sceptical Structures of Max

Biography

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1977 James Beckett lives and works between Amsterdam, Netherlands and New York, US. James Beckett's work in diverse media examines subjects of a historical nature, from the development (and subsequent demise) of European industry, to the more metaphysical aspects of dowsing and voodoo. His constructions favor an obscure and rambling logic, often within a strict formalism reflecting the mechanisms of display. A sometimes-dubious approach to his subject matter entertains the historic as suspended in a state of constant re-interpretation, a portrayal of a world where anomaly and change are fundamentals. His work focuses on objects of historical significance, and often evinces an absurdist twist. His installations examine the meaning and status of art objects in our culture and aim to present alternative perspectives on history. One of his major points of interest is the history of industry, and especially its demise.

Gallery Exhibitions

Other Venues

Selected Press

10.07.2020
ATP DIARY
The Sceptical Structures of Max | James Beckett | T293, Rome
31.08.2018
ARTERRITORY
Dream big, see it fail, repeat
09/2016
METROPOLIS M
James Beckett's smoking stage for a post-industrial society
2014
ARTFORUM
James Beckett
ARTTHROB
James Beckett at the KZNSA

CV

Education

1999

BAFA, Technikon Natal, Durban, South Africa

Solo exhibitions

2020

‘The sceptical structures of Max’, T293, Rome

2019

‘The sceptical structures of Max’, Cityscapes Foundation, Amsterdam
‘Strange Glow’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam, Netherlands

2017

‘Cray Extentions’, with Narcisse Tordoir, Wilfried Lenz, Rotterdam, Netherlands
‘The Guinness Curse’, T293, Rome

2016

‘Palace Ruin’, Public Art Project, Amsterdam

2015

Hospice: Collaboration with Artun Arasli, Markus Luettgen Gallery, Cologne, Germany

2014

‘KaVo Zahnarztstuhl Regie 1520 A’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam, Netherlands
‘Dowsing Schools: Preliminary Findings and Corresponding Survey Kit’, Artspace,
Auckland
‘Forced readings’, Lookout, Aldeburgh, United Kingdom

2013

‘That’s That, That Way ‘Round, Basically – As You Probably Know’, Artists’ Club
Coffrefort, Brussels
‘Passionate Advocate for a Poisoned Earth’, TWAAS, New York

2012

‘Of Animal and Inventory’, Blank Projects, Cape Town
‘Door and Milk Permutations’, Luettgenmeijer, Berlin

2011

‘My Friend André’s Grandmother’s Sawmill’, Neuer Kunstverein, Vienna
‘Khevsurvite Derivative (potential dwellers in ravines)’, T293, Rome

2010

‘Untitled’, Museum Hilversum, Hilversum

2009

‘Bagnoli (and Italsider as extract – arrangement)’, T293, Naples

2008

‘Limburgerhof (The Agricultural Extract-Arrangements)’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘Dalmine (and other industry extract – arrangements)’, LuettgenMeijer, Berlin
‘Spade Scrapes 1 – 6, Van Zijll Langhout Gallery, Amsterdam

2007

‘Living Registration’, T293, Naples

2006

‘Living Registration’, BüroFriedrich, Berlin
‘Untitled Installation’, Natal Society of Arts, Durban

2003

‘Climb on Shoulders to Peep Over and Dismount with Lips in Hedge’,
NICC, Koninklijk Museum Voor Schoene Kunsten, Antwerp

2002

‘Extract arrangements (tribute to Mucha)’, PLUS Gallery, Dusseldorf

1999

‘Home’, Natal Society of Arts, Durban
‘Breathing Space’, The Yard, B/W Photography, London
‘Breathing Space’, Natal Society of Arts/ Palmer street studios, Durban

Group exhibitions

2022

‘When Things Are Beings’, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2021

‘Ohm’, Electriciteitsfabriek, The Hague, Netherlands

2020

‘Taming the Horror Vacui’, RIB, Rotterdam
‘Spatial bias’, Lesage, Auderghem, Belgium

2019

‘Parallax’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘Now is the Time’, Wuzhen, China

2018

‘Revolutionize!’, Mystetskyi Arsenal, Kiev, Ukraine
‘The Assassination of Leon Trotsky’, David Lewis Gallery, New York
‘Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More’, 1st Riga International Biennial of
Contemporary Art, Latvia

2017

‘w serves imperialism’, W139, Amsterdam
‘Flatlands’, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, MCAD, Manila
‘Witness’, 1st Karachi Biennial, Karachi
‘Dead Darlings’, Unseen, Amsterdam
‘La lama di Procopio’, Nuovo Spazio di Casso, Casso
‘Utopia/Dystopia, Part I and II’, MAAT, Museum of Art, Architecture and
Technology, Lisbon
‘James Beckett with Narcisse Tordoir’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘Survival Guide’, Art Gallery of Alberta, Alberta

2016

‘What Next – picture tomorrow’, 38CC, Delft
‘Apprentice/Master #20’, Kunst Podium T, Tilburg
‘Hospice’ (con Artun Alaska Arasli), Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘Art of control’, Hacking Habitat, Utrecht

2015

‘Next Day’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘Hospice’ (con Artun Alaska Arasli), Markus Lüttgen, Cologne
‘Colmare il bocciolo/Combattere il verme/Regolare il calore/Eludere il
vento/Sfuggire all’ape’, Icastica, Arezzo
‘Between the Pessimism of the Intellect and the Optimism of the Will’, 5th
Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art
‘Personne et les autres’, Belgian Pavilion, 56th Venice Biennale

2014

‘Homing’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam
‘A Thousand Varied Uses’, NoguerasBlanchard, Madrid
‘Annals of the Twenty-Ninth Century’, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge

2013

‘Liquid Assets’, Steirischer Herbst, Graz
2013 ‘Scenographies’, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam
‘Dread – Fear in the age of technological acceleration’, De Hallen, Haarlem
‘Artificial Amsterdam’, De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam
‘Goodbye Lukas’, Amstel 41, Amsterdam
‘to scrap a proportion’, Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam

2012

‘Beyond Imagination’, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
‘If A Tree…’, Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg
‘When Attitudes Became Form Become Attitudes’, CCA Wattis Institute for
Contemporary Arts, San Francisco
‘Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art’, Dakar

2011

‘Verzameld Werk (section folklorique)’, Zeeuwsmuseum, Middelburg
‘Rapid Art 1’, Villa Dessauer, Stadtgalerie Bamberg
‘Expérience Pommery # 9 “La Fabrique Sonore”’, Pommery, Reims
‘Blinds’, Huis a/d Werf, Utrecht
‘XV Unidentified Species’, Galeria Boavista, Lisbon
‘Historical Structures – New Existentialism Part 2′, Kurator, Zurich

2010

‘Playground – Zaklady na Zycie (Plant-Life)’, Stuk, Leuven
‘Gold for wood’, Veemvloer, Amsterdam
‘Doodgewoon’, Museum Hilversum, Hilversum
‘Capturing Metamorphosis’, Allard Pierson Museum, Amsterdam
‘Woodman, Woodman, Spare That Tree’, Lüttgenmeijer, Berlin
‘Tutta la memoria del mondo’, Gam – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e
Contemporanea, Turin

2009

‘Blinds’, Festival aan de Werf, Utrecht
‘Open Source’, Biennial of Art in Public Space, Amsterdam

2008

‘For the First and the Second Time’, CAC – Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
‘3rd Young Artists Biennale- Re – Construction’, Bucharest

2007

‘Between Thought and Sound…’, The Kitchen, New York
‘Chaos City 2’, Universal Studios, Beijing
‘A for Alibi’, Uqbar Foundation, De Appel, Amsterdam
‘Museum of Noise’, Koelnischer Kunstverein, Cologne
‘Sirens’, Auditory Alerts, (Curator of), at 66-East, Amsterdam

2006

‘Here as the Centre of the World’, Curator and Workshop, Taipei
‘Vacuum 2’, VHDG, Leeuwarden
‘Practicum 06a’, N – Collective in Mediamatic, Amsterdam

2005

‘Adam’, SMART Project Space, Amsterdam
‘Radio Days’, De Appel, four radio programmes, Amsterdam
‘Dutch Open’, De Balie, Amsterdam
‘Low Tech’, Arte Amsterdam, Amsterdam

2004

‘Hit and Run’, Platform and Smart Projects, Istanbul
‘Values’, 11th Serbian Biennale Visual Arts, Pancevo
‘DAI/ NAI’, Nanjing Art InstituteI, Nanjing

2003

‘Vacuum’, Opkomst Yaarbeurs, Utrecht
‘A Partial Museum of Noise’, Gem – Museum of Contemporary Art, Prix de
Rome, Den Haag
‘Emmaus-Ölberg-Gemeinde’, Death, Berlin

2002

‘Rendevous’, Centre for Contemporary European Art, Xiamen
‘Dokumenta’, collaboration Narcisse Tordoir / Meschac Gaba, Kassel
‘Bessengue City’, radio station workshop, Doula, Cameroon
‘Filiale Africa’, Spar Kassa, Dusseldorf
‘Noise of Coincidence’, Cucosa Contemporary Art Space, Rotterdam
‘A Haunted house of Art’, Outline Project Space, Amsterdam

2001

‘Home Made, Stichting V/H de Gemeente’, Leeuwarden
‘Karl Hofer Society’, with Khwezi Gule/ Robin Rhode, Berlin
‘CLICK’, Centre Soleil d’Afrique, Bamako, Mali
‘Adrift’, Las Palmas, Rotterdam

2000

‘Pulse’, NSA, Rijksakademie R.A.I.N., Durban

1999

‘Civic Centre’, Graduates of Natal Tech, Johannesburg

1998

‘Black and Blue’, Palmer Street Studios, Durban

1997

‘Thirty Seven Songs’, Curated 37 artists, Durban
‘Stel Hotten Totten Ten Ten Toon’, Collaboration with Sandberg Institute, Bat Centre, Durban