Meet Stephen Johnston
Born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1987, Stephen Johnston is a contemporary artist dedicated to the craft of Hyperrealist painting.
He graduated in 2010 with a BA First Class Honours in Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Ulster in Belfast, where he went on to do his first major solo show Perceptions, Art Tank. Belfast, Northern Ireland (2011).
Painting full-time in his Ireland studio, Johnston’s Hyperrealistic works juxtaposes objects to form new meanings and narratives, with quirky, surreal and thought-provoking scenarios. Inspired by Surrealists René Magritte and Michaël Borremans, along with Photorealist artists such as Denis Peterson, Johnston’s work is characterised by its painstaking level of detail and craftsmanship, whilst challenging observers’ perceptions of reality.
Award-winning talent
Gaining a reputation as one of Ireland’s most promising young artists, Johnston has exhibited work in Belfast, Dublin, Paris, Brisbane Australia and London, including the Saatchi Gallery. He also exhibits at various international open academy exhibitions, competitions and group shows. Johnston’s work is also held in numerous private art collections globally.
His thought-provoking imagery gained critical acclaim early in his career, winning an array of awards including: The De Veres Art Award, The Towry Award- best from Northern Ireland at the NOAC, the KPMG Young Artist Award, as well as The SIAP Award, where he has had work acquired publicly by the Northern Ireland Arts Council. Johnston has also completed a portrait commission for Queen's University that’s currently hanging as part of their esteemed collection in ‘The Great Hall’.
The ‘Thrones’ Series
We’re proud to be exclusively exhibiting Johnston’s new development of oils, drawings and limited edition prints from his collection, ‘Thrones’. Within his traditional Hyperrealist style, Johnston has incorporated strong elements of graffiti into his work, which will be available exclusively at the gallery and online.
Discover his work
Visit the gallery or our website to see Stephen’s current collection of oil originals and stay tuned for more of Stephen's exclusive work arriving at the gallery very shortly, sign up to our newsletter below.
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