ARTIST STATEMENT

Shantel 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 positions the body symbolically to suggest relationships of tension and intimacy, often depicted within interior spaces of 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 intersections of race, gender, and religion with particular emphasis on ideas relevant to spirituality and existentialism in everyday depictions of Black life.

BIO

In 2021, Shantel graduated from Boston University with an MFA in Painting and received the Dedalus Foundation Fellowship in Sculpture and Painting, the Ester B. Khan Award, and the Elizabeth Greenshields Award. Her artwork has been acquired by private collections around the world and she has participated in numerous group shows, residencies, and art fairs in North America including The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, The Varley Art Gallery of Markham, the Nia Center for the Arts Artist-in-Residence Program, the Converging Liberations Residency at Mass MoCA, NADA Miami and Future Fair in NYC. Shantel is the recent recipient of the 2022 Artadia Award and the Ujima Boston Project’s 2022-2024 Artist Fellowship. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Religion with concentration in Visual Arts at Yale University.

Shantel is represented by Anderson Yezerski Gallery in Boston, MA.

Photo taken by Rosa Cabán.