Todd James is a contemporary American artist best known for his brilliantly colored cartoonish paintings. The artist’s work fuses his experience as a graffiti artist, with art history, pop culture, sexuality, and violence. Born in 1969 in New York, NY, he spent his young adulthood plastering the New York subway system with graffiti. Using the tag-name REAS, James’s graffiti developed into the graphic aesthetic he is recognized for today. The artist has since found success in the commercial realm, designing album covers and graphics for cultural icons like Iggy Pop and the Beastie Boys. James was introduced to the gallery scene in 2000, when he collaborated on the “Street Market” exhibition at Deitch Projects with the artists Stephen Powers and Barry McGee. His success has led to further acclaim among the art world, highlighted by his inclusion in the 2001 Venice Biennale. His works have been exhibited at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Philadelphia. James currently lives and works in New York, NY.