At Phillips Asia Headquarters, British multimedia artist Alexander James is presenting Dissecting the Square. Colours and Black, a new exhibition examining the emotional and symbolic dimensions of geometric abstraction. On view through May 31, 2026, the exhibition positions the square not only as a formal compositional structure but also as a psychological boundary shaped by memory, fragmentation, and perception.
The exhibition arrives at a moment when contemporary abstraction increasingly intersects with narrative and personal archives. Accordingly, James uses the square as a recurring framework through which he investigates repetition, cohesion, and spatial tension. Works including “Blue Pulse” (2025), “In a Place of Portrait” (2026), and “Summit of Souls” (2026) reveal a visual language in which rigid geometry collides with expressive gestures and traces of the human figure.
Although rooted in abstraction, the paintings maintain a strong emotional undercurrent. Fragmented bodies, layered marks, and tonal contrasts introduce instability into otherwise ordered structures. As a result, the exhibition moves beyond formal experimentation to examine how identity and memory occupy visual space.
The Square as Structure and Symbol
A graduate of Camberwell College of Arts in London, James has exhibited internationally across cities including London, Paris, and New York City. However, the Hong Kong exhibition marks one of his most focused presentations of the square motif to date.
His process begins with writing and notation before shifting into instinctive mark-making and repeated interventions on the canvas. Consequently, the finished works balance control and spontaneity. Rather than treating geometry as static, James uses it as an active system that shapes emotional interpretation.
“I often divide the surface of the canvas into four equal quadrants, each functioning as an individual artwork or collectively forming a unified composition.”
Through this approach, the artist challenges viewers to reconsider the relationship between isolated parts and unified wholes. Furthermore, the repeated quadrants generate a visual rhythm while emphasising rupture and reconstruction.
Abstraction, Memory, and Contemporary Painting
Dissecting the Square. Colours and Black also reflect broader conversations within contemporary painting about the intersection of abstraction and psychological narrative. While many geometric painters pursue reduction and clarity, James introduces instability through layered textures, bodily references, and expressive surfaces.
Therefore, the exhibition resists purely formal readings. Instead, it positions abstraction as a space where emotional residue, observation, and memory coexist with compositional discipline. The contrast between organic forms and structured grids becomes central to the viewing experience.
Installed within Phillips’ Asia headquarters in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the exhibition further reinforces the growing relationship between auction houses and contemporary exhibition programming. At the same time, it highlights Hong Kong’s continued role as a significant hub for international contemporary art and design discourse in Asia.
Dissecting the Square. Colours and Black remains on view at Phillips Asia through May 31, 2026.