James grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast in the 1990s along an iconic coastline that shaped his earliest memories. Beach and surf culture, bronzed athletic bodies moving between sand and sea, surf lifesavers in red Speedos, sun-bleached hair, low-rise board shorts.

A setting that sounds more like a dream than reality, but as James explains, “Skin was simply part of my landscape. The male body wasn’t hidden, it was functional, visible, and unapologetically physical.”

Looking back, James recognizes how formative that environment was in shaping his visual narratives. The athleticism and ease in one’s physical confidence, rarely framed as art.

Now, James’ platform King for a Day evokes the essence of that memory, taking the unfiltered beauty of his upbringing and refining it into fine art.