About James
"I love tweaking the nipple of society. If I can make something that provokes a reaction of any kind, I’ve hit my mark."
About the Artist
James Kingman’s work explores the emotional residue of memory. These are the fragments of light, lyric, and longing that never quite leave us. Now based in Margate, his practice is rooted in the rhythms of coastal life: shifting tides, bold skies, and that peculiar mix of melancholy and magic you only get from a British seaside town.
His compositions unfold through layered processes that merge digital and traditional techniques. Spray paint, screen printing, hand-drawn halftones and lo-fi textures combine to create works that are both tactile and luminous. There’s a deliberate push and pull at play between spontaneity and control, analogue and digital, reverence and rebellion.
Drawing heavily on music, nostalgia and personal memory, Kingman’s visual language is populated by borrowed and invented lyrics, evocative typography and recurring symbols from the natural world. Sunsets, sea horizons and reflections on water act as emotional vessels, inviting the viewer to find their own meaning within the work.
In his latest body of work, Wish You Were Here (2025), Kingman explores the emotional terrain of coastal living and familial memory. Developed after relocating to Margate, the series weaves together shared moments with his late mother, creative muses and his relationship with nature. These works hold space for connection, grief and joy, often all at once.
Though deeply personal, the works never feel closed. They offer space for your memories, your meanings and your stories.
"I enjoy the interplay between digital and analogue outputs. There are unique skillsets required for both and I’m enjoying pushing myself with how I can combine them and push myself further."
Selected Biography
Kingman studied Graphic Design: New Media at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design before spending two decades in the creative industry. In 2022, he was awarded the Thameside Print Studio Prize at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. His work has since been exhibited internationally, including solo shows (Just a Nipple, EDIT Gallery, London; Wish You Were Here, The Taproom, Margate) and major group exhibitions such as The Other Art Fair, Art Car Boot Fair, East Art Fair, and Woolwich Contemporary.
He is represented by galleries across the UK and internationally, including Edit Gallery, Electric Gallery and Totally Biblical Gallery. His work is held in private collections throughout the UK, Europe and the US.
Exhibitions & Fairs
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
London • Nov
Art Car Boot Fair
London • Sept
Urban Art Fair
London • July
Woolwich Contemporary Print Festival
London • June
Off Season
Margate • Jan
East Art Fair
London • July
Just a Nipple (Solo Show)
London • July
Art Car Boot Fair
London • Sept
The Other Art Fair
London • October
Live, Laugh, Love (Group Show)
London • October
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
London • Nov
KINK (Group Show)
London • March
East Art Fair
London • May
Reality Does Not Impress Me (Group Show)
London • October
East Art Fair
London • Nov
Art, Books, Exhibition (Group Show)
Norwich • August
DesignerCon
London • September
The Anonymous Heart Project (Group Show)
London • September
The Other Art Fair
London • October
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
London • November
• Awarded Thameside Print Award •
Just Be Nice (Group Show)
London • December
Background Bob (Group Show)
Essex • March
Silkscreen Sensations (Group Show)
London • June
Art Decko (Group Show)
Bath • October
The Other Art Fair
London • October
Galleries & Stockists
Artfinder (Worldwide)
Art Solutions (LA-Nomadic)
Chappell Contemporary (Whitstable)
Dynamite Gallery (Nomadic)
East Art Gallery (London)
Edit Gallery (London)
Electric Gallery (London)
Saatchi Art (Worldwide)
Subversion Gallery (Glasgow)
Totally Biblical (Leeds)
What they say
B. HepworthEdit Gallery‘James has a fun, honest and energetic approach in his work whilst taking care to maintain a technical style of painting. This juxtaposition of attitude and technique lead to intriguing works that we love talking about in the gallery’
M. SpendiffArt Republic'his innovative take on contemporary art and approach consistently excites and engages the vibrant Art Republic community'
S. CurranTotally Biblical'James' artworks have been an instant hit here at Totally Biblical Gallery, his work takes an exciting look at popular culture which our customers really identify with.'