Born in Taiwan in 1979, James Jean received a bachelor's degree from The School of Visual Arts in New York. Living in Los Angeles, he has been working as an artist, and an illustrator for several major publishers. In recent years, he has also worked in collaboration with the fashion and film industry.
James Jean's work transcends the border of commerciality and artistry through his lineworks, brilliant colors, dreamlike mood, and style that embraces both East and West. Even before his college graduation, he was already famous among the art critics. Doing DC Comics' Fables series cover work, James Jean has won Harvey Awards-best cover artist for 3 consecutive years and Eisner Awards for 5 consecutive years. Other awards include two gold medals and one silver medal from the Society of Illustrators of LA.
Despite his young age, he got recognition for his work from the artworld, and he also earned respect from peer illustrators. His work is vast enough to say that there is no defined ‘genre’. From the two-dimensional works like paintings, coverworks, and illustrations, the artist also pushes his boundary of work to three-dimensional craft work as well, and furthermore works in a collaboration with fashion, sports and jewelry industry.
제임스진은 1979년 대만에서 출생하여 뉴욕 비쥬얼 아트스쿨 (The School of Visual Arts)에서 학사학위를 받았다. 로스앤젤레스에서 생활하는 그는 예술가이자 여러 대형출판사 및 홍보물 일러스트레이터로 활동하고 있으며 최근 몇년간 패션 및 영화계와의 콜라보레이션 작업도 진행하였다.
제임스진의 작품은 몽환적인 느낌과 선, 화려한 색상 그리고 동.서양의 구분이 없는 스타일로 상업과 예술의 경계를 넘나든다. 대학을 졸업하기도 전에 비평가들 사이에서 유명세를 떨친 그는 이 후 DC Comics의 Fables 시리즈 커버작업으로 Harvey Awards-best cover artist (표지작가상) 3년 연속 수상, Eisner Awards를 5년 연속 수상하며 젊은 나이에도 불구하고 다른 일러스트 작가들의 존경을 받게된다. 다른 수상이력 으로는 Society of Illustrators of LA 금메달2개와 은메달이 있다.
제임스 진의 작업은 특정 장르를 꼽을 수 없을 정도로 방대하다. 그는 2차원적 평면 작업인 회화, 표지, 삽화에 머물지 않고, 3차원적인 공예작업을 하는가 하면, 유명 패션브랜드, 스포츠, 쥬얼리 업계와 콜라보레이션까지 선보이며 자신의 작업 분야를 끝없이 확장해나가고 있다.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Seven Phases, HYBE Insight Museum, Seoul, South Korea
2019 Eternal Journey, Lotte Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
2018 Azimuth, Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2015 Zugzwang, Hidari Zingaro Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2013 Parallel Lives, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, NY
2011 Rebus, Martha Otero Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Kindling, Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Running. Qingdao Art Museum, Qingdao, China
The Eyes Have It. Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
2020 Show Me The Signs, Blum and Poe Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 California Love, Galerie Droste, Wuppertal, Germany
2016 Juxtapoz X Superflat, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA
Juxtapoz X Superflat, Pivot Art + Culture, Seattle, WA
Takashi Murakami's Superflat Collection―From Shōhaku and Rosanjin to Anselm Kiefer―,Yokohama Art Museum, Yokohama, Japan
2014 Masterworks, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
SuperAwesome, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
2013 Vitruvius, Martha Otero Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012 City of Fire, Stephen Webster, Beverly Hills, CA
Gin & Juice, Ivory & Black Soho, London, UK
2011 Rebus Book Release, Art Catalogues, Ahmanson Building, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA Oniomania, Martha Otero Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 L.A. Secret Studio: David Choe & James Jean, Parco Factory, Tokyo, Japan
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Seoul, Korea. Lotte Museum of Art. Eternal Journey
2018 Los Angeles, CA. OVM. Azimuth.
2015 Tokyo, Japan. PIE Books. Pareidolia. Los Angeles, CA. OVM. Xenograph.
2011 San Francisco, CA. Chronicle Books. Rebus.
2010 San Francisco, CA. Chronicle Books. Rift.
2009 San Francisco, CA. Chronicle Books. Kindling: 12 Removable Prints. Richmond, VA. AdHouse Books. Process Recess: The Hallowed Seam, vol. 3. Text by James Jean
2008 San Francisco, CA. Chronicle Books. XOXO: Hugs and Kisses (Postcard Book).
New York, NY.
DC/Vertigo Comics. Fables: Covers by James Jean. Texts by James Jean and Bill Willingham
2007 Richmond, VA. AdHouse Books. Process Recess, vol. 2. Text by James Jean
2005 Richmond, VA. AdHouse Books. Process Recess, vol. 1. Texts by James Jean and Paul Pope
AWARDS
2008 Bronze Lion, Cannes Lions Festival 2008, Cannes, France.
Best Packaging Design (Nomination), Grammy Award, Los Angeles, CA
Best Cover Artist, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
Best Publication Design, Eisner Award, San Deigo, CA
2007 Gold Medal, Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
Best Cover Artist, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
Best Short Story, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
Best Cover Artist, Harvey Award Gold Medal, Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, CA
2006 Best Cover Artist, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
Best Cover Artist, Harvey Award
2005 Best Cover Artist, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
Best Cover Artist, Harvey Award
2004 Best Cover Artist, Eisner Award, San Diego, CA
2001 Alan M. Goffman Award, New York, NY
2000 Gold Medal, Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, CA
2000 Gilbert Stone Award, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Jellybean Photographics Millenium Award, New York, NY