Dalek photograph from Velle Magazine

Biography from Dalek's official website:

It's hard to say how Dalek got to where he is today. He really doesn't like to talk about it. So, what is left? What are Space Monkeys? Where are they from? Are they born alive, or are they incubated in egg-like vessels? Why do they smirk at us as if they know something we don't? Even when they are suffering from what would be moments of human weakness - like a hole in the head or a recently amputated limb - they continue to smile and state, assuring their control of the moment. Why do they always march to the left? Is there a mothership calling? Are their hearts situated on the left side of their bodies like ours? We can only guess. They state at us with one large orb of an eye, unintimidated and steadfast in their mission. The eye of the Space Monkey can threaten like a cocked and steadied gun - it can insult you without warning, or invite you into a happy, carefree world.

Biography from the Richard Goodall Gallery, site of a 2005 Dalek gallery show entitled "Violent Pacification":

Dalek birthed the first of thousands of "Space Monkey" characters on a wall in Connecticut in 1995. It was a graffiti painting off to the side of a larger work by a group of more experienced graffiti painters. The creature hovered, and pointed to the left. For whatever reason, there has never been one to point to the right. And, for whatever reason, people can't get enough of them.

Artist Dalek's wonderful, strange Space Monkeys are unlike anything you've ever quite seen before. Truly original, these creations are a delight to behold. --- Todd David Schwartz, CBS Radio

Born on May 22, 1968, in New London, Connecticut, James Marshall grew up a Navy brat, relocating over the years to Japan and Hawaii with his family. As a second grader in 1975, James suffered various injuries. One in particular - managing to plant a wooden stake in his head - recurs in his artwork to this day. His skateboard was his constant companion in his teenage years.

James graduated in 1992 with a B.S. from the Virginia Commonwealth University, moved to Chicago, and, taking up the name Dalek, began to work in graffiti, despite a relatively late start. The first of his Space Monkey characters emerged in 1995, in the same year that he graduated with a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Over the years, that Space Monkey character has gone on to be the trigger of fascination that has fueled Dalek's success in fine art, commercial work, and toy design.

From 1997-2000, he began to show work across the country, including at the 111 Minna Street Gallery in San Francisco. In 2000, he's featured in Art Week and While You Were Sleeping magazines. His skateboarding peers turned into clients as he began commercial work with skate companies, including Element, Innes, Duffs, Planet Earth, and Mutiny Wakeboards.

In 2001, Dalek instructed undergraduate students for one semester at his alma mater, the Virginia Commonwealth University. In May, he moved to New York City, where in October he took a job as assistant to Takashi Murakami, a position that he held for six months. Working for Murakami greatly influenced Dalek's approach, both technical and stylistic. He took designing work for 555Soul, and showed on both coasts, at New Image Art in Los Angeles; 381 G Gallery and Upper Playground in San Francisco; WDWA: Brooklyn; and MOCA DC in Washington DC. Dalek also commanded features in Art Papers, the San Francisco Guardian, Arkitip, Flux, The Kansas City Star, and Mass Appeal.

Sony Creative Products in 2002 recruited Dalek to begin working in designer toys, and he quickly became one of the most sought-after artists in the exploding craze. He completed commercial work for Sony, Nike's Presto shoe line, Levis, Calvin Klein, and Rookie Skateboards. Dalek took part in the City of Baltimore public art project Artscape 2002, and exhibited work at Max Fish, The Front Room, Luxe Projects, Alife, The Eighth Floor Artist Corp, Pamela Auchincloss / Project Space, and Deitch Projects in New York, as well as the Merry Karnowsky Gallery and BLK/MRKT in Los Angeles. He had his first overseas shows at the Apart Gallery in London and the Rocket Gallery in Tokyo. That year, Dalek featured twice each in Juxtapoz and Tokion, as well as NYARTS, the Colorado Daily, Relax, the Philadelphia City Paper, as well as his first book feature with Pour La Victoire, published by Surface to Air.

2003 was a huge year for Dalek, highlighted by the release of his first artist monograph, Dalek: Nickel Plated Angels, from Gingko Press. Other book features for the year included The Sponsorship Book, published by Anthem magazine and Ryan McGuiness; Pictoplasma 2, published by Die Gestalten Verlag; Morning Wood, published by Gingko Press; and Heavy, published by: alife / neverstop. Kid Robot had him design several vinyl collectible toys, which are especially successful, and he made some toy designs for traditional modular building toy company KNEX. Dalek was a visiting artist and guest lecturer at the Kansas City Art Institute, and took part in the public art Graffiti meets Windows 2003, by Paintura Projects in Osaka, Japan. 686 Snowboards, Altoids, and 55DSL all commissioned Dalek's works.

Nationally in 2003, Dalek showed at the 111 Minna St. Gallery in San Francisco; MOCA DC in Washington DC; Alife, the Eighth Floor Artist Corp, McCaig-Welles, and the Asian-American Arts Centre in NYC; the Ox-Op Gallery in Minneapolis; Compound Gallery in Portland, Oregon; Washington Street Art Center in Massachusetts; Heaven Gallery in Chicago; The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia; Lump Gallery in Raleigh, and Merry Karnowsky in Los Angeles. He showed internationally at the Rocket Gallery in Tokyo and the Parco Gallery in Nagoya, Japan; as well as Colette in Paris. He was featured in New American Paintings, Eye, D art International, Pioneer Press of St. Paul, the Washington Post, the New York Resident, Strength Magazine, and the New York Times.

Dalek continued to build momentum in 2004, showing nationally at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Upper Playground in San Francisco; OX-OP Gallery in Minneapolis MN; Paul Rodgers 9w Gallery in NYC; the Cincinnati Art Center in Cincinnati, OH; and Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Internationally, he showed at Best Gallery in London and Magda Danysz in Paris. He featured in Juxtapoz, Refill, the Wall St. Journal, and New York Magazine. He worked with Toy2R Hong Kong, Fuel TV, Monkey Business, and was featured in Neversoft Activision's wildly successful video game Tony Hawk Underground II.

Another big year for Dalek and the Space Monkeys, got off to a bang in 2005 with the release of his second artist monograph, Dalek: Sonic Order Of Happiness, from R77 Press. The reviews are fantastic: Todd David Schwartz of CBS Radio gave the book his highest rating, calling Dalek's Space Monkeys wonderful and a delight to behold. He worked with Nike Hong Kong, Adidas Germany, Converse USA, MTV Latin America, and a Nike and Kid Robot project with Barneys. He also worked with Yo Yo Mart, a high-end children's store in New York.

Nationally, Dalek showed in 2005 at the McCaig-Welles, Clementine, and Jonathan Levine Galleries in NYC, Art Prostitute Gallery in Dallas TX, Merry Karnowsky in Los Angeles, and the 222 Gallery in Philadelphia. Internationally, he showed at Magda Danysz in Paris and Le Gallery in Toronto. He was featured in the Washington Post, City Magazine, Elemental, Paper, V, Playtimes, and WAD.

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