James Marshall, or Dalek, has been a fixture in the urban art scene for ten years. Best known for his “Space Monkey” characters, Marshall brings this influence to Irvine Contemporary in his solo show, Overweight.

Seen as a combination of street art, cartoon, Japanese pop and punk, Marshall’s paintings are very precise and highly complex compositions. Using bright neon colors he creates dizzying kaleidoscopic displays. The shapes that he employs are simple and minimal but become crowded and busy once layered many times over. These shapes and patterns can be found throughout his paintings as they are repeated again and again in different compositions.

Marshall’s work is consistent and angular as harsh geometric shapes make up the majority of his work. The points of triangles and vanishing rectangles emphasize the deliberate perfection found throughout his compositions. Even arches and arcs become harsh as they are sectioned off into thinner lines. Each piece is confusing to the eye and overwhelming in complexity. Painted with acrylics, it is hard to believe that this precision was created by man and not machine.