Maurice James Jr. is a self taught Contemporary Artist and Graphic Designer. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Maurice now lives and works in Washington, DC.

The work of Maurice seeks to intertwine iconic American Pop Culture references with powerful Black images to positively promote Black Love, Black Beauty and Black Power.  Maurice’s work focuses on portraying the strength and brilliance of Black People as well as embodying the importance of Black representation in mainstream history and culture.  Growing up as a young man in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia, he collected comic books, baseball cards and watched films that, while considered classics, did not prominently feature Black People in the heroic role. 

Using digital graphics and merging genres that have not traditionally been combined to recreate well known pop-culture moments, Maurice’s art answers questions such as “How could Black folklore integrate into American culture?”, or “What if Black artistic genius was hailed in the light of deity?”.  His work strives to create a glimpse of a reality in which Black People and Black Culture are Promoted Properly.

photo by Darren Agboh @dagboh