James Cabaniuk (b. 1987, Carlisle, UK) is a British artist living and working between Manchester and London.
Primarily working with large format painting, Cabaniuk’s practice uses personal and canonical histories to debunk myths of shame around trauma and queer identity. Focusing on the issues within abstract expressionism and its machismo, they navigate the complex relationship of disdaining whilst fetishising the power they hold. Cabaniuk employs coding, abstraction, queer opacity and layering to construct records with materials like confetti, glitter and soil, serving as tools of celebration, resilience, and connection. Shaped through rapid creation, the paintings are all about the drama, encompassing concepts of fun, camp, sexuality, gender, self destruction, healing, and community. Cabaniuk established and ran ‘horseshed’: a queer archive and exhibition space.
They received their Bachelors of Arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2015, and their Masters in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2023.
Their work has been exhibited in the UK, Italy and Lithuania.
