About
James Kinser is a Chicago-based multimedia artist. Combining performance and costume design, his work currently explores idiosyncratic expressions of identity that challenge the traditional male/female construct of gender. Previously, his work has addressed the relationship between the body, spirituality, and sexuality, all topics which continue to be incorporated into his work.
Since 2009, he has been collaborating with Niki Grangruth on the production of Muse, a series of photographs that challenge notions of beauty and gender through the reinterpretation of iconic works from art history.
James earned an MA (2005) in Interdisciplinary Art at Columbia College Chicago and a BA (1997) in Art Education and Fine Art from Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS.
Awards
- 2020 Individual Artists Program Grant, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
- 2019 Engendering Change, Juror’s Choice Award, Cloyde Snook Gallery, Adams State University, Alamosa, CO
- 2015 Portraits 2015 with Debra Klomp Ching – Juror’s Choice Award, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
- 2014 National Photography Competition – 1st Place, Soho Photo Gallery, New York, NY
- 2012 The Portrait: Up Close and Personal – Honorable Mention, MPLS Photo Center, Minneapolis, MN
- 2011 Kinsey Institute Juried Art Exhibition – Best in Show, Kinsey Institute, Bloomington, IN
Collections
- Columbia College Chicago, Department of Exhibition and Performance Spaces, Chicago, IL
- Kinsey Institute Gallery, Bloomington, IN
- Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, Indianapolis, IN
- Various private collections
