Artists must constantly walk in the face of failure to break the boundaries of their own construction. The more well-known you are as an artist for a particular style or flavour, the more scared you become of breaking the boundaries of your own construction.

INTERVIEW: Alexander James Hamilton talks about his ‘Oil + Water’ project created in Siberia with Anna Prosevtova.

‘Ptolemy’, from Oil + Water 2015.

Alexander James is an artist working at a cross-road of media, combining painting, photography and sculpture. Using water and environment as his medium for thirty years, Alexander has recently completed a new project – Oil + Water, executed in Siberia.

We met with Alexander to talk about his project, time in Russia and the role of an artist today.

Anna Prosvetova: Alexander, you have been working in many locations around the world but two of your recent projects were completed in Moscow and Siberia. Why did you become so interested in Russia?

Alexander James: That’s a great place to start…

Princess Tarakanova, 1864, by Konstantin Flavitsky — Courtesy of Tretyakov Gallery

AP: How did the project Oil + Water come about?

AJ: This project is different from my previous work…

AP: What was your process of working? Did you have a team to assist you in Siberia?

AJ: I was working very much alone on this project…

‘Mycenean’, from Rastvorennaya Pechal , Moscow exhibition, 2014.

AP: In your artworks you always use liquid water. Was it different this time to work with frozen water?

AJ: My process is a mixture between painting, sculpture and photography…

AP: What is your background? Were you trained as an artist?

AJ: I am completely unsullied by the world of academia…

‘Dark Matter’, from Oil + Water , Siberia, 2015.

AP: What are your future projects?

AJ: I am deeply satisfied with the outcome of Oil + Water…

AP: Alexander, thank you!