Fintan Magee: From Brisbane Graffiti to Global Social Realist Murals
Fintan Magee, born in 1985 in Lismore, New South Wales, and raised in Brisbane, is known for his impactful figurative paintings. His artistic path started at the age of twelve with graffiti, influenced by his father, who was an artist, and his mother, a landscape architect. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Queensland College of Art in 2009 and turned his attention to mural art around 2010. By 2014-2015, his murals evolved to tackle themes like migration and environmental issues. His symbolic pieces have been showcased in countries such as Belarus, India, Jordan, Spain, and the U.S., featuring in prominent exhibitions like the Asia Pacific Triennial and solo shows in Melbourne, Paris, and Los Angeles.
Key facts
- Fintan Magee was born in Lismore, New South Wales, in 1985 and raised in Brisbane.
- He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Queensland College of Art in 2009.
- By twelve or thirteen he was writing graffiti in Brisbane; he later painted graffiti while working inexpensive jobs in London and Amsterdam.
- Around 2010 he began seriously testing figurative murals, citing Chloe Early and Conor Harrington as influences.
- Magee identifies approximately 2014 and 2015 as when his murals began to feel resolved by his own standards.
- After the severe Brisbane floods of 2011, he developed a body of work concerned with water and environmental instability.
- In Norway he responded to the decline of the local oil industry by depicting figures connected with that history.
- His work has appeared in the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art and group exhibitions connected with the Honolulu Museum of Art, Urban Nation Museum, Long Beach Museum of Art, and Museum of Fine Arts in Calais; solo shows include Water World in Melbourne, Waves in Paris, and Big Dry in Los Angeles.
Entities
Artists
- Fintan Magee
- Chloe Early
- Conor Harrington
- Diego Rivera
- Grant Wood
Institutions
- Queensland College of Art
- Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
- Honolulu Museum of Art
- Urban Nation Museum
- Long Beach Museum of Art
- Museum of Fine Arts in Calais
- AATONAU
Locations
- Lismore
- New South Wales
- Australia
- Brisbane
- Derry
- Northern Ireland
- London
- England
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Belarus
- India
- Jordan
- Spain
- Tahiti
- Tunisia
- United States
- Melbourne
- Paris
- France
- Los Angeles
Sources
- AATONAU —