Shelley Miller is a Montreal-based artist who works in public spaces, creating both ephemeral street art installations, as well as permanent public art commissions. She has presented her work across Canada as well as India, Brazil and Australia. She earned a Bachelors in Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design (1997) and a Masters in Fine Arts from Concordia University (2001). She has received numerous fellowships and grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et lettres du Quebec and the Commonwealth Foundation.
Her work has been acquired by The City of Montreal, The Museum of Modern Art of Bahia (Salvador, Brazil), Reliance Industries (Mumbai, India), the Just for Laughs Museum (Montreal, QC) as well as many private collectors.
Artwork description
Shelley Miller’s artwork called Tissu urbain, divided over two surfaces, is rich in colour and texture. The main component, also the larger part, is on the concrete wall of the southern façade of the kiosk. The other part of the artwork is composed of eight small panels of about 30 X 30 cm attached to an interior crossbeam at eye level.
The artwork refers both to traditional quilt designs and to geometric abstraction, in a wide palette of bright colours that contrast with the mainly grey surrounding materials. The handmade porcelain of the artwork was conceived to offer a delicate counterpoint to the industrial environment.
At the conceptual level, Miller explains, “Quilts are a reminder of the family home, a symbol of comfort, safety, and warmth. The artwork offers an eclecticism that lends itself to multiple associations in which viewers can recognize themselves.” With Tissu urbain, both users of the train station and passers-by are invited to an experience that is both tactile and visual.