Upside Down
Ciaran Magill
4 May to 9 June 2023

About the Exhibition

The University of Atypical is delighted to invite you to join us for the launch of, Upside Down an exhibition of new work by artist Ciaran Magill opening at 5.00 pm on Thursday the 4th of May as part of the Late Night Art scheme
Bodies in motion, bodies at rest. This exhibition of figurative paintings explores the artist’s fascination with high-energy athletic poses offset against quiet contemplative positions within a domestic setting.
The acrobatic males are like an astral-projection of the artist’s own dreams, often imagined while lying on his bed. Likewise, the levitating females allude to gender politics, a recurring theme in the artist’s sixteen -year career.
With fifteen solo shows to date, this is Ciaran’s first ever solo exhibition of work focused on the human figure combining drawing and painting. The works embody the artist’s love of line, colour and transparent layered paint effects.
Magill’s psychological landscapes often explore an eerie isolation and a sense of foreboding. His conceptual figurative works often focus on issues of gender and sexuality.

About the Artist

Born in 1978 in Newry, Northern Ireland, Ciaran studied Fashion at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication in London before returning to the Belfast School of Art & Design in 2006 to complete a BA (Hons) degree in Fine and Applied Arts.
His paintings and drawings are held in many private, public and corporate collections, most notably the Open University, DIAGEO, the NI Civil Service and the Centre for Independent Living Collections. He was the 2009 recipient of the DIAGEO NI emerging artist award and has received awards from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, University of Atypical, and the Freelands Foundation, London.
He has had solo exhibitions at many of the leading public art galleries in Northern Ireland, notably at the Flowerfield Arts Centre (Portstewart), Oriel Gallery (Antrim), Sean Hollywood Arts Centre (Newry), Waterfront Hall (Belfast), Island Arts Centre (Lisburn), Down Arts Centre (Downpatrick), Bangor Library and Ards Arts Centre.
Magill has exhibited in many group shows in locations including Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin and Genoa. He has shown in group shows locally at the Ormeau Baths Gallery, Golden Thread Gallery, The Mac, Catalyst Arts and the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University.
A selection of the works on exhibition were made possible with an award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland