Shae Myles
The art of Shae Myles takes a colourful look at the world of play, secrets and confessions, consumer culture, and, as she describes it, the “political and social act of throwing a party.” In her multimedia oeuvre, she welds together decided whimsy and latent commentary on usually-unseen social forces. The result is a nostalgic and detailed visual feast that transforms the imagery of the everyday into a glitzy, artificial collage.
Shae Myles.
To see more of Myles’ work, please visit her website or Instagram.
About:
Myles studied Contemporary Art Practice at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Scotland. She is now based in Glasgow. She has always been driven by creative pursuits: her first was a childhood “business” called Cool Craftz, for which she compiled drawings in a plastic binder to bring along on visits to family and friends. Myles priced the Cool Craftz artworks individually and ensured her customer base would remain informed on her production via a newsletter. Whilst Myles no longer sells her Cool Craftz, such initiative and innovation are still an enormous part of her creative process.
Myles’ oeuvre stretches across photography, video art, digital art, drawing, and even unconventional mediums like food art. An example of the latter is Victory Bread (2019), the final work for her third year at Gray’s. Myles baked over forty loaves of bread in two days and placed the loaves in a snaking pattern down the walls of her studio. The intrusive loaves were available for showgoers to eat as they entered Myles’ kitchen full of found objects. Myles’ invitation for visitors to eat real bread not only mimics the habits of shared eating but also highlights its cultural significance. Moreover, this physical engagement tweaks the conventional kitchen space into something ever-so-slightly askew. In doing so, Myles forces spectators to confront what lies beneath the surface and engage with social conventions that have been typically taken for granted.
Shae Myles, Victory Bread, 2019. Installation, video, and sculpture.
Myles further upends expectations of the domestic space by purposefully manipulating the aesthetics of kitsch and femininity. Her own face dominates the frame in her photography and accompanying video works. Barbara, a two-series project composed of Barbara (2020) and Barbara at Home (2020), features photos and videos of Myles fashioned as the titular Barbara. Barbara, a character reminiscent of Cindy Sherman, sports a distinct mess of red curls and gaudy turquoise eyeshadow. In Barbara, the character is attention-grabbing, blasé. Barbara at Home destroys her manicured façade to expose a character who, in Myles’ words, will “feast on ready-made meals and pass out alone, face down on her fold-away dining table.” Videos accompany each photographic series, allowing static images to come to life. By bringing Barbara to the small screen, Myles fleshes out Barbara’s loud persona into a realistic, unique character that viewers can connect with on a distinctly deeper level.
Currently, Myles’ production is driven by the ambition to create works that are – above all – fun. Her use of a vibrant colour palette and personable, familiar subject matter lends her work a certain warmth, continuing on even in heavier subject matters, such as fear and anxiety. Her series a very large pang, then warm tears on my cheeks (2021) broadcasts these feelings in Myles’ characteristic bubblegum colour palette and pop-infused style. Similarly to Barbara, she chews on the idea of ageing and the emotional turmoil it inevitably brings. Secrets lie under the surfaces of Myles’ glossy drawings and photographs, contrasting their appearance with murmurs of frustration and gestures of impersonation.
Myles has exhibited previously in Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K., and she has an upcoming group show at 16 Nicholson Street Gallery in Glasgow. Complementing her artistic practice, in 2020, Myles founded the artists’ collective Jiggle n Juice with her best friend and collaborator, Georgia Tooke. The collective helps emerging artists navigate the art world via a podcast, how-to guides, art texts, and a digital residency. As for what’s next for Myles, she is currently teasing several projects for the new year, all of which will retain the playful spirit she brings to anything she creates. Bring on 2023!
Selected Exhibitions:
2022
Homegrown, Crummy Gallery, Victoria, B.C.
Sweetpea Loves You, 4 Corners Community Collective, Victoria, B.C.
2021
Food Between Culture and Nature, Markthalle, Basel, Switzerland.
Jiggle n Juice FUNHOUSE, Look Again Project Space, Aberdeen.
2020
The DGSYR Report, Ziferblat, London.
Food #2, Congress Center Basel, Switzerland.
GRADCURATE Summer 2020 Exhibition, online exhibition.
Gray’s School of Art Virtual Degree Show, online exhibition.
The Nationwide Degree Show, billboard feature, London.
2019
Creative Accelerator Exposition, Look Again Project Space, Aberdeen.
Remote Host, Gaada, Burra, Shetland.
Gray’s Films Showcase, Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen.
Selected Awards and Residencies:
2021
Healing the Hostile Environment, Jupiter Artland, digital residency.
In the Link, EMBASSY Gallery, digital residency.
2020
RGU Art & Heritage Award.
Design & Code Virtual Space Award.
BP Fine Art Award Nominee.
All images are courtesy of the artist.
Gabriella Hetu
Emerging Artists Co-Editor, MADE IN BED