Steven MacIver is a contemporary abstract painter whose work is characterised by layered compositions, gestural mark-making and a nuanced exploration of colour, texture and form.
Steven MacIver
Drawing inspiration from landscape, memory and the built environment, his paintings create a visual dialogue between the seen and the felt, balancing structure with spontaneity.
Drawing inspiration from landscape, memory and the built environment, his paintings create a visual dialogue between the seen and the felt, balancing structure with spontaneity.
At the heart of MacIver's work is an interest in how people experience and navigate the world around them. Through abstract visual languages, he explores themes of connection, transition and transformation, creating works that resonate on both personal and collective levels.
Layered surfaces, intersecting forms and shifts in colour create a sense of movement through the composition, often reflecting the complex systems, networks and relationships that shape contemporary life.
Rather than presenting a fixed narrative, each painting offers space for interpretation, encouraging viewers to find their own meaning and connection within the work.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
The 200th Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh 2026 | Choice!, Benjamin Parsons Gallery, Oxford 2025 | Small World, Benjamin Parsons Gallery, Oxford 2024 | Group Show, Paragon Gallery, Cheltenham 2023 | Art at The Lanesborough, London 2023 | Andiamo, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh 2021 | Time Again, As Water, Dillon + Lee Gallery, New York 2019 | Wells Contemporary, Wells 2018 | Art Miami, Miami 2017 | Line & Surface, Sarah Wiseman Gallery, Oxford 2016 | Volta Basel, Switzerland 2013 | Latitude, Pier Arts Centre, Orkney 2010
EDUCATION:
MFA Fine Art, The Slade School of Fine Art, London 2002–2004 | BA (Hons) Art & Design (First Class), Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen 1998–2002.
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS:
MacRobert Award, Royal Scottish Academy 2024 | The Latimer Award, Royal Scottish Academy 2008 | Aberdeen Artist Society Shell Award 2007 | Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting & Sculpture, British School at Rome 2004–2006 | The Guthrie Award, Royal Scottish Academy 2004 | The John Murray Thomson Award, Royal Scottish Academy 2003 | The W Gordon Smith Award 2002 | John Kinross Scholarship 2002.
My paintings explore the way we experience place, not as a fixed image, but as a collection of memories, movements and connections. Through layers of colour, line and gesture, I seek to create works that balance structure with openness, allowing viewers to bring their own experiences and interpretations to the surface. The paintings become spaces for reflection, where connections are made between landscape, architecture, people and time
