Niall Stevenson

Niall Stevenson

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Degree: MA
University: Edinburgh University
Graduation Year: 2016

New Blood Art Commentary

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See the artist's work alongside David Hockney's

Niall Stevenson's landscape paintings offer an idiosyncratic vision of the Scottish topographies he encounters through his walks. Working from sites of archaeological significance like cairns, hill forts and enclosures, Stevenson finds starting points for his image-making. His gestural brushwork and dexterous application of short, carefully placed marks capture not romantic visions of the wilderness, but personal experiences of being immersed in these environments. 

Stevenson is fascinated by how time erases cultural traces from the landscape, leaving only fragmentary remains. These remnant structures become catalysts for interpretive processes within his paintings. The works engage the viewer's imagination, inviting contemplation of the histories and narratives embedded in the land's half-forgotten formations.

With a practice informed by walking the Scottish landscapes, Stevenson's paintings transcend mere representation. They embody the physicality of moving through space, registering the artist's corporeal presence through the very marks and gestures that construct the image. Stevenson's canvases speak not just to the eye, but to the whole bodily experience of existence within these environments over spans of centuries.

Artist Statement

My most recent work has been informed by walking in the landscape, particularly in Scotland. I have tried to find ways to paint my experience of being in these environments, often using sites of archaeological interest (cairns, hill forts, enclosures, etc.) as a starting point for image-making. The pictures are not intended to be bucolic or pertain to any romantic notions of the wilderness, but rather try to show a more idiosyncratic vision of how I encounter various topographies. I am particularly interested in the ways in which time has erased traces of culture from the landscape, and how fragments of remaining structures can act as a catalyst for interpretive thought processes.

Solo Exhibitions

(2018) Fittie, Art Spot Korin, Kyoto, Japan

(2017) Tribute, Weissraum Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

(2013) Isolating Fragments of Reality, Weissraum Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

Group Exhibitions

(2022) Looking for You, Project Room, Glasgow

(2020) Ways of Seeing, Art Spot Korin, Kyoto, Japan

(2019) Tragicom (Act I, II, & III), Patriothall Gallery, Edinburgh

(2018) Plastic Beach ...poetry of the everyday, City Art Centre, Edinburgh

(2017) Untitled, Trinity Apse, Edinburgh

(2016) Interim, Talbot Rice, Edinburgh

(2013) Summer Art Shower, Contemporary Art Space Osaka, Japan

(2012) Bridges and Barriers, Universität der Künste Berlin, Berlin

Competitions, Prizes & Awards

(2013) Recipient of the Robert Callender International Residency for Young Artists

(2021) Hope Scott Trust Funding for Visual Artists working in Scotland

(2022) VACMA (Visual Artist and Craft Maker Award)