• LOCATION

    30 Berkeley Square
    London
    W1J 6EX (map)

  • VIEWING

    11 - 17 November 2026 
    Monday - Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm
    Sunday Noon-6:00pm

  • CONTACT

    Catherine Bird
    Associate Specialist, 
    Private Sales
    cbird@phillips.com

Exhibition Highlights

PhillipsX presents Dissecting the Square. Continuum a selling exhibition by British multidisciplinary artist Alexander James, building on his presentation at Phillips Hong Kong earlier this year. Featuring a new selection of paintings alongside a documentary exploring the artist’s creative process and time in Hong Kong, the London exhibition offers an intimate insight into his evolving practice.

Portrait of Alexander James. Hong Kong. April 2026. Photograph by Robin Blake

Alexander James, Held in Bloom

The series originated from a formative moment in James's studio, when early morning sunlight sharply divided the surface of an empty canvas, inspiring his exploration of the square as both a geometric structure and a space for creative possibility. Often dividing his compositions into four quadrants, James explores the relationship between fragmentation and cohesion, balancing expressive mark-making with shifting elements of abstraction and figuration.

ALEXANDER JAMES Held in Bloom, 2025

Alexander James, In Between Minds

Rooted in memory, perception, and personal experience, James's paintings emerge through an intuitive process of writing, sketching, and experimentation. Drawing upon personal archives and everyday observations, fragmented faces and bodily forms appear within the compositions, creating a dialogue between geometric order and psychological expression. As James reflects, “The square gives everything a boundary, but I’m interested in what exists beyond it.”

ALEXANDER JAMES In Between Minds, 2026

A central component of the London exhibition is a documentary film offering an intimate look at the artist's creative journey. Capturing the development of the series alongside James's experiences in Hong Kong, the film, created in collaboration with Robin Blake and edited by Oliver Michael Baron, provides a personal perspective on his practice, revealing the working methods, observations, and moments surrounding the creation of the paintings. Presented alongside the works, the documentary invites audiences to explore the relationship between artistic process and finished composition, offering a deeper understanding of the ideas and experiences that inform the series.

Alexander James in Hong Kong. March 2026. Photograph by Robin Blake

Together, the paintings and documentary offer a multifaceted portrait of Alexander James's practice. Bringing the series from its introduction in Hong Kong to London, where the artist began his artistic journey, the exhibition offers audiences a deeper understanding of the creative experimentation and personal experiences that shape his work.

ALEXANDER JAMES Veins of Light, 2025

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