James Dive

Class of 1996 | Artist, Designer, Director

Internationally celebrated installation artist, director, and designer James Dive was the recipient of the 2020 Hills Original Alumni Award. 

His interdisciplinary practice is known for a strong conceptual bent, fused with a healthy disregard for established creative boundaries.

After graduating from the University of Technology with a Bachelor of Design, James worked as an art director at Publicis Mojo in Sydney, before he was headhunted as an Art Director for Grey London. Two years later he was offered a role at The Glue Society, a leading creative collective of designers, writers and directors based in Surry Hills, Sydney. He rose to become a creative partner before he left to found his own company, Scoundrel Projects, in 2016. 

James is a highly regarded and awarded artist who embraces public art, installations, design, film and architecture. Who can forget his 2006 Sculpture by the Sea entry Hot With the Chance of a Late Storm of the melting ice cream van or his 2017 entry of What a Tasty Looking Burger? The Guardian wrote he was the ‘highlight of Miami Basel’. 

He is a sought-after keynote speaker and was chosen for the cover of Wild Art, a Phaidon publication celebrating artists who challenge the art establishment. Despite a very busy work life, he has embraced philanthropy and regularly speaks in schools, including Hills Grammar, helping students learn how to craft their ideas.