Joshua Miels is a contemporary artist who was born in Adelaide, Australia in 1982. His artwork aims to capture the vulnerability and emotions that we often hide from others. Spending countless hours adding layer upon layer of paint, Joshua produces powerful paintings that resonate with viewers long after their gaze has left the canvas. His subjects are predominantly male; their demeanours are often ambiguous.
At first glance we see proud and powerful portraits, however once we observe the paint – the cracks in its surface, the way it breaks away from the contour of the face into a multitude of lines and strokes – our perception of these men begin to shift. We begin to understand that the face if often a façade, masking what we all experience as humans – times of fragility, vulnerability and powerlessness. Painted predominantly with oil paint, each and every piece of art takes its own journey through a process of experimentation. The artworks are created to challenge the viewer and prompt them to draw upon their own emotive experiences.
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Lennox St. Gallery, Melbourne
2016
In Two Minds, Metro Gallery, Melbourne
2015
Social Disconnect, Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
2014
BMG Art Gallery
2013
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture
2012
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture
Greenhill Gallery, North Adelaide
AP Bond Gallery, Magill, South Australia
Espionage Gallery, Adelaide, South Australia
2011
Ap Bond Galley, Magill, South Australia
Group Exhibitions
2019
Metro Gallery, Armadale, Victoria
2015
Lennox St. Gallery, Armadale, Victoria
2014
Lennox St. Gallery, Armadale, Victoria
2012
Greenhill Gallery, North Adelaide, South Australia
AP Bond Gallery, Magill, South Australia
2011
A.P. Bond Art Gallery, Magill, South Australia
Awards and Recognition
2019
Kennedy Art Prize (finalist)
2017
Doug Moran Prize for Portraiture (semi Finalist)
2015
Harford hardwood prize for portraiture
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture (finalist)
Lethbridge 10,000 small scale prize (finalist)
Anzac Art Prize (finalist)
2014
Percival Prize for Portraiture
Emma Hack Art Prize
2013
Doug Moran Prize for Portraiture (semi finalist)
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture (finalist)
Cliftons Art Prize (finalist)
2012
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture (finalist)
2011
Cibo Galleria Prize (finalist & peoples choice)