Miss Lisa Milroy

Lecturer

Slade School of Fine Art UCL
Gower Street London WC1E 6BT

l.milroy@ucl.ac.uk

Biography

1959 Born Vancouver, Canada
1977-78 L'Universite de la Sorbonne, Paris, France
1978-79 St Martin's School of Art, London
1979-82 Goldsmiths College, University of London (BFA First Class Honours Degree)

Research Summary

Still life is at the heart of my artistic practice. In the 1980s my paintings featured depictions of ordinary objects such as shoes, plates, rocks, stamps, fans, hardware, light bulbs and vinyl records, composed in either a grid or random scatter against an off-white ground. In the early 1990s my approach to still life painting shifted, leading to depictions of objects within settings. The imagery expanded to include landscape, architecture and people. As the range of imagery grew, my painting style diversified. By continually experimenting with fast and slow applications of paint, the resulting painterly innovations have allowed me to achieve within my paintings a wide range of moods and atmospheres. For the past five years, I have been developing large scale paintings that are site-specific and installation-based.

The focus of my work is the relation in painting between stillness and movement, the hand and eye, thought and action, and between presence and absence; how one looks at painting as a maker and as a viewer; and the wonder of the imaginative transformation of materials into an image or art object that has the potential to touch the viewer.

Teaching Summary

2009-present Head of Graduate Painting, Slade School of Fine Art
1995-present Advisor, Rijksakademie van Beelden Kunsten, Amsterdam

Part-time tutor:
1995-96 Royal College of Art, Post-Graduate Painting
1993-96 Goldsmiths, University of London, Undergraduate Program

Day Visiting Tutor since 1984:
Bath School of Art and Design
Brighton School of Art
Camberwell College of Arts T
The Centre for Drawing, University of the Arts
Central St Martins College of Art and Design
Chelsea College of Art and Design
City and Guilds of London Art School
Manchester School of Art
Norwich School of Art and Design
Royal Academy Schools
Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art, UCL
Sheffield College of Art
Wimbledon College of Art

Visiting Artist:
Ecole nationale de beaux-arts de Lyon, France
Skowhegan, Maine, USA

Exhibitions

Party of One

2013
Crate, Margate

Party of One is a painting installation that can be performed. The viewer enters the gallery and sees a painting consisting of a group of painted hand-sewn dresses hung on wooden stands, clustered in front of a painted backdrop. The dresses are perfunctorily made, and painted with the same pattern as the backdrop. But the fabric of each dress is different, so they read as slightly different images. To the side of the grouping is the same type of dress but with buttons on the shoulder - this is a dress that can be worn. When a performer dons this dress, she is then invited to step inside the painted zone of dresses and wander in and out of the arrangement. In the gallery, the viewer looks on as the composition of dresses grows animated. The performer completes her circuit and leaves the painted zone, returning the zone to stillness. With Party of One Lisa Milroy continues to explore the possibilities of ‘still life’ painting, and her focus on the formation of self, identity, work, the relation between contemplation and action, and the participatory nature of painting.

I Am The Magic Hand

2013
Sikkema Jenkins & Co., 530 West 22nd Street, New York NY 10011

Group show of 5 artists selected by artist Josephine Halvorson for Sikkema Jenkins & Co., NY

Idea City

2013
New Museum, New York

Collaboration with US-based architectural firm Atopia's 'Pitch-Africa'; re-cycled military parachutes hand-painted with floral motifs erected as water harvesters in the Bowery for the new Museum's Idea City Streetfest to highlight Pitch-Africa's campaign in North Kenya to harvest rain water

Colour as Material

2013
FAFA Gallery, Helsinki, Finland

This exhibition was part of an event that brought together staff and students from the Slade, Northumbria University and the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in an on-going materials research collaboration. The event included a symposium on the subject of colour, for which I also contributed a paper entitled "Black and Blue".

Cabaret Duchamp

2013
Barbican Theatre, London

I provided a Wearable Paintings (dress) costume for artist Hayley Newman during her performance "Crisis Cabaret" for Cabaret Duchamp at the Barbican Theatre. This Wearable Painting is in a set of 4.

Paul Bush Compilation: film screening at the ICA

2013
ICA, London

"Geisha Grooming" is short animation film created by Lisa Milroy and Paul Bush, and was included in Paul Bush's film screening programme at the ICA

Looking at the View

2013
Tate Britain, London, UK

A thematic exhibition of works from the Tate Collection that looks at continuities in the way artists have framed a vision of the landscape over the last 300 years: how we look at 'the view', whether near or afar, high or low, inside or out. It includes 70 works of 55 artists, and follows the 2012 thematic exhibition 'Migrations".

Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East

2012
Cultural Village Foundation Katara, Doha

The event is ‘Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East’ at the Cultural Village Foundation Katara. The exhibition features 100 works of art by 25 Royal Academicians and 25 prominent artists from across the Middle East. ‘Encounter’ enters into the spirit of engagement with the international art community and the general public by inviting these artists to exhibit side-by-side. The aim is to provide a platform for dialogue amongst practitioners working in a wide range of media – painting, sculpture, photography and video. The exhibition began in another guise in Singapore - 'Encounter: The Royal Academy in Asia' - where it is currently open at LaSalle. I was on the RA selection committee for both events chaired by Paul Huxley, with Richard Wilson and Michael Craig-Martin, and have 2 paintings in the shows. Includes fully illustrated catalogue with essay by David Thorpe.

The Studio- Workshop and Myth

2012
Staatgalerie Stuttgart

Encounter: The Royal Academy in Asia

2012
Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore

The event is ‘Encounter: The Royal Academy in Asia' at the ICA, Singapore. The exhibition features 100 works of art by 25 Royal Academicians and 25 prominent artists from across the Middle East. ‘Encounter’ enters into the spirit of engagement with the international art community and the general public by inviting these artists to exhibit side-by-side. The aim is to provide a platform for dialogue amongst practitioners working in a wide range of media – painting, sculpture, photography and video. The exhibition began in another guise in Singapore - 'Encounter: The Royal Academy in Asia' - where it is currently open at LaSalle. I was on the RA selection committee for both events chaired by Paul Huxley, with Richard Wilson and Michael Craig-Martin, and have 2 paintings in the shows. Fully illustrated catalogue with essay by David Thorpe.

Pandemonium

2012
Hyde Park, London

Commission by Artwise for the World Wildlife Foundation fundraiser in Hyde Park: a performed painting on the subject of rain.

Heartbeat

2012
99 Art Centre, Floor 1, Bldg. 6, No. 50 Moganshan Road, Shanghai, China,

This event was a British Council funded cultural and pedagogic exchange that involved an exhibition my work at 99 Art Center, Shanghai; a residency at Shanghai University to learn aspects of Chinese ink painting; a lecture and studio critique at Shanghai University; and a platform to foster awareness of the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition in China, for which I was first prizewinner in the UK edition in 1989.

Jerwood Collection

2012
Jerwood Gallery, Hastings

Inaugural exhibition

Making Space

2012
Woburn Research Centre

Art Plus Opera

2012
Whitechapel Gallery

Ivory Lamp Mars Vine Bone

2012
Gallery North, Northumbria University

The exhibition presented 23 paintings spanning my 30 year practice. The event included a symposium "Dark Matter" which focussed on the use of black in painting, highlighting the Slade Materials Research Project in Graduate Painting, and included presentations from Jo Volley, Co-Director of the Materials Research Project and Onya McCausland, Honorary Research Assistant. The publication 'Ivory Lamp Mars Vine Bone' included my essay by the same title; documentation of the exhibition and symposium; and text contributions from the Slade School of Fine Art, Finnish Academy of Fine Art, Northumbria University. The event and publication received funding from all 3 institutions, the Arts COuncil and Reuben Mackintosh

A Private Affair

2012
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston

Exhibition that celebrates personal collections of contemporary art.

Act One, Seen Too

2012
Bloomsbury Theatre,

Act One, Seen Too is a painting designed for theatre space. Viewers are invited to look at the painting from the theatre seats and then experience it on stage, surrounded by its components. Seen from the auditorium, the painting is a unified composition framed by the proscenium. On stage, viewers can participate in the action of the painting and ‘perform’ it themselves. Act One, Seen Too is a dialogue between the magic of the still image and the immersion of live action. It was first presented at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham in Sept. 2011, co-produced by the Ikon Gallery

Gallery Artists

2012
Alan Cristea Gallery, 31-34 Cork Street, London Wis 3NU

Act One, Seen Too

2011
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham in collaboration with Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

British Art: Royal Academicians

2011
Seongnam Arts Centre, Seongnam, South Korea

Improvisations

2011
Royal West of England Academy, Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX

I made my ﬁrst painting of Japanese prints in 1986 as part of the still life paintings that characterised my work during the 1980ʼs. Throughout my career, my experience of Japan has acted as a constant source of inspiration. My show Improvisations at RWEA brought together two groups of paintings that pay hommage to Ukiyo-e woodblock prints - transcriptions of Ukiyo-e prints and, stemming from these transcriptions, the Geisha series. The RWA magazine featured a detail of my painting 'Drifting, 1999' on the cover, and an article 'Lisa Milroy in Conversation with Tim Clark', Head of the Japanese Section, British Museum

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2011
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD O

House Guest

2011
The Corridor, Rekagranda 8, Reykjavik, Iceland

Artists for Kettle's Yard

2011
Kettle's Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQ

A Picture of Health

2011
Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR for Paintings in Hospitals, Floor One, Menier Chocolate Factory, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU

Collection

2011
Usher Gallery, Lincoln LN1 1YL

Painting and Sculpture

2010
Lehmann Maupin, 201 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10012

In the Black

2010
Summerfield Gallery, University of Gloucestershire, Pittville Studios, Albert Road, Cheltenham GL52 3JG

Eleven

2010
Alan Cristea Gallery, 31-34 Cork Street, London Wis 3NU

Jurahokusai Paysages: Oeuvres de la Collection du Fonds Regional d'Art Contemporain de Franche-Conte

2010
Musee de l'Abbaye, 3 Place de l'Abbaye, 39200 Sainte Claude, France

Layers: John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize Show

2010
Seongnam Arts Centre, Seongnam, South Korea

Shouting From A Rock

2010
Pharos Center for Contemporary Art, 24 Demosthenis Severis Avenue, 1080 Nicosia, Cyprus

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2010
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD O

Global Contemporary Artists for Artists

2010
Rijksakademie Endowment Fund, Sotheby's Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 30, 1083 HJNetherlands

Black and White Flower Painting

2010
Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, London

Voyage

2010
Galerie Xippas, 106 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004, Paris at Salon du Dessin Contemporain, Carousel du Louvre, France

Secrets of the Museum Collection

2010
Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan

ART: Curated by Michael Craig-Martin

2010
Galerie Haas & Fuchs, Berlin, Germany

Double Interview

2010
Artspace Hue, Seoul, South Korea

The Rise of Women Artists

2009
Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3

The Shandy Show: A selection of works from The Shandy Collection

2009
Arts Gallery, 65 Davies Street, London, W1K 5DA

The Artist's Studio

2009
Compton Verney, Warwickshire, CV35 9HZ

Life on the Line

2009
Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 Cork Street, London, W1S 3NU

Head and Neck

2009
Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith, London

Permanent installation of paintings in Head and Neck Department at Charing Cross Hospital

Visual Deception

2009
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, 1-1-1 Wakihama Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan

Mahlzeit (Essen in der Kunst)

2009
Galerie im Traklhaus, Salzburg, Austria

Painted Worlds

2008
Galerie Lelong, Predigerplatz 10-12, CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland

September '08

2008
Nishimura Gallery, 2-10-8 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan

Pictures Within Pictures

2008
Galerie Maximillian, 602 Esat Cooper Avenue, Aspen, Colorado, USA 81611

Building Bridges: 8 Visions, One Dream

2008
The Today Museum, Beijing, China, organised by the Red Mansion Foundation, Great Portland Street, London

Building Bridges: Eight Visions, One Dream was an ofﬁcial exhibition for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Cultural Programme and included six of my paintings in a group show of eight British artists. All work in the exhibition was based on individual research trips to China funded by the Red Mansion Foundation during 2005/6, and produced in the following period to 2008. My research trip involved travel to Xian, Shanghai, Beijing, Guilin, Suzhou and Huangzhou. Fully illustrated catalogue with essay by Michael Bracewell.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2008
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD O

Noisy

2008
Galerie Jones and Trubenbach, Aachener Strasse 29, 50674 Cologne, Germany

Momentary Momentum

2008
Kettle's Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQ

Everywhere You Come From

2008
Pala Fuksas, Turin, Italy

Black and White

2007
Galerie Xippas, 106 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004 Paris, France

Making Sense

2007
Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HS

Summer Exhibition 2012

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD O

Time and Time Again

artsdepot, London

RA Summer Exhibition 2013

Royal Academy of Arts, London

Publications

London Review of Books

Design, London Review of Books. 2012/02/23

cover design for Vol. 34 No 4, Feb 23, 2012

Steamcream

Design

Design of two Steamcream tins to launch international design project for Steamcream

The Slade School of Fine Art: Collections

Media

Collections

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All applications to the BA and BFA in Fine Art at the Slade must be made through UCAS by 15 January.

UCAS codes UCL: U80 / BA in Fine Art: W100/ BFA in Fine Art: W101

MA Course Structure

Overview

During the first three years of the MA, students attend courses in the history and theory of art and produce written work as an integral part of their studies. Courses are thematic, looking at both historical and contemporary art. The programme takes the form of lectures, seminars, individual tutorials, written papers and gallery and museum visits.

Studio Programme

Taught courses provide students with a grounding in histories and theories of art together with an awareness of the relevance of these critical studies to the contemporary practising artist. The knowledge and concepts gained from historical and theoretical studies contribute to students' overall development as artists.

The programme helps students to contextualize their studio work and to understand and negotiate the complex relationships between making art and the ways in which contemporary and historical art is interpreted, displayed and understood.

History and Theory of Art

In the second or third year MA students must pass one additional course from another UCL department. This may relate to practical studio work (such as anatomy, the psychology of perception or European film), provide an additional skill (such as a foreign language or computing), or be followed as an entirely separate interest.

MFA Course Structure

Overview

The critical studies component of the three-year MFA programme is integrated into the undergraduate studio course and the tutorial system. It is designed to provide students with the ability to reference their work within a relevant cultural context and enable them to develop verbal and writing skills to articulate the development of their work within a criticåal context. Critical studies will be assessed each year by verbal presentation and a short text and must be passed in order to progress to the following year.

Studio Programme

The studio programme for the MA and MFA is structured around three studio subject areas: painting, fine art media and sculpture. After an initial period of orientation as a first-year group, students choose to be based in one of the areas. Each subject area provides a focused environment in which students can address the practice and theory of that subject and has a specialist team of academic staff supported by technical facilities and expertise. Workshops are organised to offer students the opportunity to develop their skills and technical abilities n response to and to assist with the development of their work. Each area runs a programme of seminars, visiting artists, gallery visits and other events pertinent to students' interests and the development of exciting and challenging debate.

Group work

Students come together with other students from across the subject areas in a number of different ways, including an introductory course to the contexts and histories of art practice in the autumn term of the first year.

Tutorial Groups

The tutorial system consists of a tutor and his or her tutor group, made up from a group of students from all areas of the school, which meets twice a term. One-to-one tutorials can be arranged from the group tutorial, as well as with other tutors, through a system of sign-up sheets and appointments.

Subject-area Seminars

Each area organises regular seminars where students present their work for discussion. The aim is to relate the work to debates specific to the subject area and develop critical awareness.

Cross-area Seminars

The cross-area seminars provide a forum for students to present their work to students and tutors across the subject areas. The aim is to relate the work to a broader context beyond the subject area in which it is produced. Cross-area seminars also aim to develop students' understanding of how to locate, place and present their work for an exhibition. History and theory of art staff regularly participate in both series of seminars.

Critical Studies

Fees and Funding

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I visit the Slade?

Yes, all applicants are encouraged to visit the Slade and there are a number of opportunities to do so.

Ideally, you should come on a Tour of the School during the autumn term. These are held on a weekly basis on Tuesdays at 2.00pm and you will have a talk by a member of academic staff and the opportunity to ask questions. This is followed by a guided tour of the School by one of our current undergraduate students. Book here.

In the last week of the autumn term there is an Undergraduate Open Studios event where you can meet academic staff, see the school and spend some time in the studios, perhaps listening to a crit or talking to current students. For details, click here. Booking is not required.

If you miss the Tours and Open Studios, but you are shortlisted for interview, you will have an opportunity to meet a current undergraduate student and have a tour of the building on the day of your interview.

You can also visit the end of year Degree Shows in May.

Please note that the studios are private working spaces and ad hoc or unplanned visits can not be arranged.

Where can I find information about what to study?

We offer two graduate programmes, the two academic year MFA in Fine Art and the two calendar year MA in Fine Art. For information on programme content, please see our Graduate Studies web page.

Where can I find information about what to study?

We offer two graduate programmes, the two academic year MFA in Fine Art and the two calendar year MA in Fine Art. For information on programme content, please see our Graduate Studies web page.