SYDNEY.- Sullivan+Strumpf are presenting the Sydney solo exhibition debut of one of Naarm / Melbourne’s most exciting young artists. Direct from Melbourne Now and running consecutively with his exhibition for Sullivan+Strumpf at Melbourne Design Week, James Lemon’s Sphexishness opens at their Zetland, Sydney, premises, Thursday May 11 until Saturday June 3, 2023.

“Sphexishness” Lemon says, “is a term derived from observing the Sphex wasp. Weaving a web, excavating an elaborate tunnel. It is a type of behaviour describing mindless and robotic routine behaviour displayed in insects (although there are some people I could name here).”

“This instinct lies at the core of my practice; an instinct to build. The production of vessels is a ceaseless pursuit spanning not only millennia but mega-annum. I toil between ancient and contemporary, crude, and complex, mindful, and mindless.”

Mindless, routine behaviour it may be, yet as writer Stephen Todd points out in an upcoming article for Sullivan+Strumpf Magazine, “it’s behaviour that, in the case of sphex (great golden digger) wasps, results in exquisitely complex, sturdy nests”.

For Lemon, there is a desire to celebrate and elevate imperfection, to the point that he often provokes an erroneous effect. His process Todd comments is “a delirious kind of wabi-sabi”; and in the outcome, “the frisson of impossible fabulosity is sublime”.

Renowned for his typically colourful, highly textural creations and diverse cutting-edge commissions and collaborations, James Lemon effortlessly traverses art and design contexts with a uniquely expressive flair and ease.

Primarily working with clay, his tactile sculptures are often embedded with other objects such as bricks, precious stones, and discarded ephemera as reflection of his humour, physical gestures, and broader social and philosophical concerns, with frequent references to religion, pop culture, insects, and global ceramic forms.

A New Zealand native, who has made his home in Melbourne since 2012, Lemon has exhibited multiple times for Melbourne Design Week and developed exclusive collections for the respective design stores of The National Gallery of Victoria and Heide MOMA.

In 2022 he was commissioned to create a major installation for the opening of the new Ace Hotel Sydney. The year also marked Lemon’s first major acquisition, for the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

James Lemon: Sphexishness launches at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney, 799 Elizabeth Street Zetland Thursday May11 to Saturday June 3, 2023.

James Lemon, born 1993, Te Awamutu, Aotearoa New Zealand. Naarm Melbourne, Australia since 2012.

James’ ceramic wares are tactile, dynamic objects that traverse art and design contexts. They uniquely reflect his humour, physical gestures, and broader social and philosophical concerns. His typically colourful, highly textural, and sometimes slapstick works include references to religion, pop culture, insects, and global ceramic forms. While he primarily works with clay, he often embeds other objects such as bricks, precious stones, and discarded ephemera to develop his expressive, sculptural vernacular. He is also known for his creation of content on social media. His performative or comedic approach to this digital space reflects his ruminations upon daily life and aids in generating ideas in his studio.

James has collaborated with a range of institutions and individuals in diverse settings. He has developed exclusive collections for the respective design stores of The National Gallery of Victoria and Heide MOMA. He has exhibited multiple times for Melbourne Design Week. He has featured in publications such as Waller Paper Magazine, The National Gallery of Victoria Magazine, Architectural Digest, Vogue Living, Vault Magazine, The Design Files, Yellow Trace, Real Living Magazine, The Journal of Australian Ceramics and Broadsheet.

His work is represented in the permanent collection of The National Gallery of Victoria.

He is also an active member of the arts community, routinely teaching workshops and masterclasses in his Melbourne studio and showroom.