James "Dalek" Marshall
Raleigh, NC
James Marshall—commonly known as the artist Dalek—made his mark in the art world with his iconic Space Monkey character, which looks like a catatonic, twisted mouse. “The Space Monkey is my concept of a human being,” he says. “It’s a tool for relaying and exploring ideas.”
Marshall grew up in a military family, and his childhood was punctuated by drastic moves every couple years. He lived up and down the East Coast, and ended his high school years in Japan. He turned to the subcultures of punk rock, skateboarding and graffiti for inclusion and identity.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992, and received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1995. That same year, he developed his well-known Space Monkey character. Taking up the name “Dalek,” Marshall merged street art, cartoons, Japanese pop and the energy of the urban punk scene.
2016 Mural by Dalek in Eastern Market, Detroit
