Shani Rhys James: The Eyes Have It
A spotlight on one of the great artists of Wales.
Something has been haunting me since writing yesterday’s letter on the Van Gogh at the National Museum in Cardiff and it can best be encapsulated in this image…
Of all the artists whose work I was first introduced to during my time as editor of Wales Arts Review, Shani Rhys James must count as one of my favourites. Her darkly mischievous work taps into something I believe at my core to be vital to art - a meeting point of ideas and play. The way James’ figures peer from the painting out to the viewer is as unsettling as it is comical. The inclusion of one of her pieces (pictured above) in the Art of the Selfie may be a no-brainer for the curator, but it also presents a stark narrative when in the same space as the Brenda Chamberlain (pictured below), and even the Van Gogh itself (below Chamberlain).
James’ work sits deeper for its sense of humour - can we even call it a sense of humour? Is there any humour in it? Is my want to refer to its comic edge a protective reaction in me against what could otherwise be visceral horror? The fault lines are what makes her work great art. I cannot answer the questions my responses sprout, I can only experience the work. The work, her work, is the articulation of feelings brought out of me by it. That is why I stood before this as long as I did the Van Gogh.
I interviewed James in 2021, during lockdown, and you can read that here (it’s long and quite a bit of it is about reactions to and restrictions of Covid life - but it is also full of insight into her work and life).
Here, also, is wonderful piece she wrote for Wales Arts Review in 2016 for our “Artist Voice” series in which she discusses the painting that changed her perspective on things, Yellow Gloves from 1987.
Gary Raymond is a novelist, author, playwright, critic, and broadcaster. In 2012, he co-founded Wales Arts Review, was its editor for ten years. His latest book, Abandon All Hope: A Personal Journey Through the History of Welsh Literature is available for pre-order and is out in May 2024 with Calon Books.