James Williams III

James Williams III (b. 1992) is a Virginia-born interdisciplinary artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. Although Williams experimented with sculpture prior, he became particularly engaged with his practice in 2016. His studio practice explores the intersections between space, navigation, emotional health, and their relation to identity. In 2018, Williams adopted abstraction as his primary style in efforts to abandon the representational and push the boundaries of form, mood, and tone. Since his adaptation of abstraction, Williams’ work has been featured in various publications including Modern Luxury (US), Architectural Digest (US), and POPEYE Magazine (JP).

Williams strives to investigate the beauty and complexities of humanity in order to produce works that serve as sites of awareness and healing. He is innately inspired by personal accounts and the shared experiences of individuals in his orbit. After absorbing stories of past and present, Williams returns to a familiar process of automatic drawing as he would in grade school to work through the emotions that derived from those evolving narratives. Those forms then are placed under a critical lens which allows Williams to receive ancestral themes that later are worked into paintings, sculpture, studio furniture, and instillation. His choice of materials is often industrial, inspired by his admiration for structures that endure time.

By operating between sculpture and studio furniture, both disciplines have informed each other and allowed Williams to channel his voice through various mediums. Although self-taught, Williams has received direction from accomplished fine artists over the years. He had the opportunity to work under Lawrence “Naturel” Atoigue during 2018 as studio director and studio assistant to Basil Watson during 2019. The time Williams spent in each studio was integral to understanding his approach and how to navigate a fine art practice.