Bout Dat Life Collection (2026) — Cityscape Series
Artist Statement
The Cityscape Series is the third body of work within the Bout Dat Life Collection (2026), a multi-series collection by Atlanta-based artist Michael James spanning figuration, cultural narrative, and material innovation. The series comprises three original canvases — Uptown Soul, Midtown Soul, and Downtown Soul — each mapping a distinct register of urban Black life: the aspiration of uptown, the pulse of midtown, the defiance of downtown.
Each work is built through a multi-stage material system: acrylic ground, atmospheric spray, raised textural relief, and embedded photoluminescent pigment. The result is a canvas that generates optical depth without digital intervention — figures that advance and recede as the viewer moves, and a second visual state that activates in low light.
These works cannot be reproduced by process alone. They are the product of technical mastery, material knowledge, and a decade of systems-level thinking applied to the painted surface.
Acquisition & Exhibition
Works from the Cityscape Series are available for private acquisition, institutional loan, gallery exhibition, and licensing. Each original includes a certificate of authenticity. High-resolution press images and condition reports are available upon request.
The series is available for full-series exhibition proposals. Consignment and installment acquisition terms are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Submit an Inquiry
For acquisition, exhibition, licensing, and press inquiries. All inquiries are responded to within 3–5 business days.