James Ross (b.Gillingham, Kent, United Kingdom) graduated BFA from the University of Auckland in 1970. Since his first one person exhibition in 1974 he has exhibited widely in New Zealand, as well as Australia, Europe and the USA; as well as performing many curatorial roles.
Notable curatorial projects include 1982 Seven Painters/The Eighties co-ordinated & toured by the Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui. In 1985 he was the facilitator/curator and edited the catalogue for ‘NZ/NY’, a group exhibition of six NZ artists at 22 Wooster St Gallery, New York. At the same time he exhibited paintings at a one person exhibition at Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York. In 1991 he was a facilitator/artist-trustee and catalogue editor for Distance Looks Our Way – 10 NZ artists selected to exhibit in the Pabellon de las Artes at EXPO ’92, Seville. Between 1997 and 2002 he was the International Curator for the important sculpture project for Alan Gibbs known as The Farm, where he installed major artworks by Richard Serra, Daniel Buren, George Rickey, Sol Lewitt and others.
An extensive exhibition career spans over forty years. Between 1985 to 1992 he was represented by the Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland, and during that time there were notable group exhibitions: A Very Peculiar Practice [Curated by Allan Smith] City Gallery, Wellington,1995; and in 1996 his painting & sculpture was selected for the exhibition ‘NZ XI’, curated by the Auckland Art Gallery for tour to the Art Gallery of New South Wales & the Museum of Contemporary Art, Brisbane. Other important group exhibitions have been: Decades – with Gretchen Albrecht, Lynda Benglis & Ron Gorchov at Robert Steele Gallery, New York in 2002; Diaspora – Pluralism and Singularity that toured 5 venues in New Zealand in 2009 and the Summer Exhibitions at the Royal Academy, London in 2009 & 2012. There have been several small survey exhibitions of work commencing with in 1993 Constructed Paintings 1982-1993, at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton; in 1996 Aide-Memoires, Fisher Gallery, Pakuranga; 2007 The Red Studio (works from 1982-2006); in September 2008 Constructed Connections (Painting & sculpture 1982- 2008) curated by Ben Abdale-Kerr for the Pah Homestead Gallery, Auckland.