Marty St. James
Fire Station Residency
1997-2001
Marty St. James is a British artist, working primarily in performance, video art, photography and drawing. Marty’s works have been included in exhibitions in both the UK and internationally, including Painting the Century, National Portrait Gallery, London (2000–01); the Lux Video Open, Royal College of Art, London (2003) and Analogue, Tate Britain (2006). Solo exhibitions include shows at Aberystwyth Arts Centre (1979); Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth (1985); Arnolfini, Bristol (1987); Scottish National Portrait gallery, Edinburgh (2000); National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow (2003); Chelsea Art Museum, New York (2005, 2007) and at the Chi-Wen Gallery, Taipei (2011).
In 2008 and 2010, screenings of his film Upside Down World were held simultaneously across the UK and internationally (including 17 BBC Urban Screens in the UK) as part of the Streaming Museum Programme (New York), Artists and Innovators for the Environment Part Two. Among his time-based works, St James’ Video Portraits (1990s) are in the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection.
Fire Station Residency 1997-2001
Acme's residency at the Fire Station is one of the most directly supportive schemes for artists in the United Kingdom, providing combined studio and living space at low rents, as well as a half rent residency for a deaf or disabled artist. This fixed-term residency scheme is intended to allow artists more time to concentrate on the development of their work and professional careers, and less time working to survive. 1997-2001 residents were selected by artists Tracy McKenna, Cornelia Parker, Adam Reynolds, and Acme co-founder Jonathan Harvey.