Sep 16, 2023 to Jan 7, 2024
A Legacy Unfolding
About the Exhibition
In this solo exhibition, Shantel Miller tackles the nuanced relationship between faith, spirituality, and the church, and the ways in which these are expressed within her Jamaican-Canadian community. On view is a new series of figurative paintings and photographs showcasing the people and traditions that make up the Legacy Christian Community Worship Centre in Markham.
The artist captures intimate and quiet moments of reflection and prayer, as well as active manifestations of faith. As in previous works, Miller centres the Black body, examining how it moves through space and exists within it. The artist describes photography as a tool to document, while painting is a means of encountering and expressing what she sees. The combination of both mediums allows Miller to simultaneously observe and reflect on what happens around her.
About the Artist
Shantel Miller is a Jamaican-Canadian visual artist living in Markham. She received an MFA in Painting at Boston University and a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Ontario College of Art and Design. In 2021, she received the Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture, the Elizabeth Greenshield Award, the Esther B. and Albert S. Kahn Career Entry Fund and is currently the Ujima Boston Project Artist Fellow for 2022-2024.
Miller’s figurative paintings represent lived and imagined experiences that often situate the body in moments of vulnerability and introspection. As part of her creative process, she uses body language symbolically to suggest relationships of tension and intimacy, often depicting interior spaces with isolated moments of realism, alternating perspectives, and high-contrast color relationships. Working in this way, Miller negotiates notions of a public and private self and explores ideas relevant to spirituality and existentialism in ordinary depictions of Black life.
