Sonya Yong James lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. She received a BFA from Georgia State University, where she focused on printmaking and sculpture. James has exhibited nationally and internationally for the past twenty-five years and has been the recipient of several grants, including the Artadia grant in 2019, and was a nominee for the 2023 United States Artists Fellowship award.

Her work is held in numerous collections, including the High Museum of Art, Art in Embassies, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. James has exhibited in galleries and museums such as MOCA GA, The Minnesota Museum of American Art, UAB’s Abroms-Engels Institute for the Visual Arts, and the Ogden Museum of Art in New Orleans. James has received grants for residencies at the Atlanta Contemporary and Mass MOCA. James was included in the Atlanta Biennial in 2024.