Press Kit
BoutDatLife
Michael James
Atlanta, GA · licensing@boutdatlife.studio · boutdatlife.studio
Press Kit — 2026
Artist Statement
“I make work about what it feels like to carry cultures — plural — in your body. I am my parents. I am my grandparents. I am my ancestors. My work is where my ancestors speak.”
Bout Dat Life (Studio) is an Atlanta-based contemporary art practice by Michael James exploring Afro-Caribbean identity, rhythm, and cultural memory through layered abstraction, expressive figuration, and material-based painting systems.
The work is built through layered painting processes that create physical surface depth, raised textures, and light-reactive elements that respond to environment and proximity. These material systems extend painting into a tactile experience where image becomes object, and surface carries memory and accumulation.
The practice moves between abstraction and symbolic figuration, where identity is constructed through rhythm, gesture, and layered visual systems rather than literal representation. A decade of professional practice in UX Design and Front-End Development is not background — it is foundation. That structural discipline informs the logic, sequencing, and compositional architecture of every canvas.
The practice unfolds through evolving collections: Ancestors Chat, Rhythm of the Drum, and Cityscape Souls. Available for acquisition, exhibition, and curatorial inquiry.
Selected Works
Ancestors Chat Series
Saturday Night Soul
2026 · Acrylic, spray paint, and mixed media on canvas with impasto relief, photoluminescent pigment, and trompe-l’œil dimensionality
60 × 48 in (152.4 × 121.9 cm) · Original available · Canvas Edition of 25 · Paper Print Edition of 50
Rhythm of the Drum Series
Her Rhythm
2026 · Acrylic, spray paint, photoluminescent pigment, textural relief on canvas
36 × 48 in · Canvas Edition of 25 · Paper Print Edition of 50
His Beat
2026 · Acrylic, spray paint, photoluminescent pigment, textural relief on canvas
36 × 48 in · Canvas Edition of 25 · Paper Print Edition of 50
Cityscape Souls Series
Uptown Soul
36 × 48 in · Edition of 25 / 50
Midtown Soul
36 × 48 in · Edition of 25 / 50
Downtown Soul
36 × 48 in · Edition of 25 / 50
Curriculum Vitae
Practice
Medium: Acrylic, spray paint, photoluminescent pigment, textural relief on canvas
Studio: Atlanta, GA · Est. 2026 under Bout Dat Life LLC
Focus: Afro-Caribbean identity, rhythm, and cultural memory
Professional Background
UX Designer & Front-End Developer — 10+ years. Applied design work for Fortune 500 companies. Foundational background in cartooning and character-driven composition, informing a figurative and narrative approach to fine art practice.
Exhibitions
Available for solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and curated institutional programming — 2026. Inquiries: licensing@boutdatlife.studio
Collections
Private collections — Atlanta, GA
Representation & Licensing
Original works available for private acquisition, gallery representation, licensing, and exhibition by inquiry only.
Contact
For gallery representation, exhibition, licensing, acquisition, and press inquiries:
licensing@boutdatlife.studio
boutdatlife.studio
© 2026 Michael James | BoutDatLife. All artwork, images, and content are protected under U.S. and international copyright law.