Artist of the Month, September 2023 - Stephen Millar

Stephen Millar completed his BA (painting) at Ulster University in 2006 and is a HCPC registered Art Psychotherapist having completed a MSc in Art Psychotherapy, University of East London 2014. Stephen's practice includes illustration, painting, performance, and installation. His work lies somewhere between abstraction and caricature, making use of the interplay between image and language, often to satirical ends. Blending colour and layers to build an arresting narrative, Stephen calls upon his therapeutic background to address unconscious responses to trauma and socialisation in his work. His bleakly comic and often unsettling tone highlight social injustice, and the frictions at play in one’s sense of belonging. Stephen is a member of the Array Collective

Dia Duit a Mháthair is part of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland art collection. The piece explores our contested relationship with language – The words Decide, Redirected/Diverted (spelt incorrectly on purpose) are written as gaeilge. A mother leopard represents security and protection. The painting is big, colourful (using a palate of local colours) and is partitioned into multiple sections that exist side by side. Further information about Stephen and his work can be found on his website www.stephenmillarart.com