Ciaran Magill, Tropical Island, 2026, oil on linen, 120 x 180 cm. £4,000

Ciaran Magill, Mountain Paradise, 2026, oil on linen, 90 x 120 cm. £2,000

Open from Friday 16 January to Saturday 7 March 2025

Marketpace Arts Centre,

Market Street,

Armagh,
County Armagh,

Northern Ireland

BT61 7BW

Opening hours: 9:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Saturday

A solo exhibition of contemporary landscape paintings by County Down artist Ciaran Magill.

Following a research trip to the Eden Project in Cornwall, this show presents a fresh body of work in response to visiting the largest indoor rainforest in the world.  The artist sensitively explores the bedazzling effects of tropical light on foliage and raindrops, through reflections and sun-drenched desert island scenes. Three quarters of the exhibition features paintings of extreme heat, blazing skies, golden sunsets, turquoise waters and brilliant white light, while the final quarter features a series of winter scenes of snow and ice. The overall exhibition hints at the polarising nature of climate change, with extreme weather often leaving us craving an escape, to either cooler or warmer temperatures.

Magill is fascinated by the endless beauty and diversity of landscapes across the planet and hopes this exhibition captures some of the magic that draws us to these special places.

The works on display were made possible thanks to a materials award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the National Lottery.

Ciaran Magill Biography

Born in 1978 in Newry, Northern Ireland, Ciaran Magill studied Fashion at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication in London before returning to the Belfast School of Art & Design in 2006 to complete a BA (Hons) degree in Fine and Applied Arts. His paintings and drawings are held in many private, public and corporate collections, most notably the Open University, the NI Civil Service Collection and DIAGEO, the world's leading premium drinks business. He was also the recipient of the 2009 DIAGEO NI emerging artist award. Magill has won 6 awards from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and from the Freelands Foundation in London.

He has held 17 solo exhibitions in Northern Ireland at many of the leading public art galleries, notably at the Flowerfield Arts Centre (Portstewart), Oriel Gallery (Antrim), Sean Hollywood Arts Centre (Newry), Waterfront Hall (Belfast), Island Arts Centre (Lisburn), Down Arts Centre (Downpatrick), Bangor Library and Ards Arts Centre. 

Magill has also exhibited in many group shows all around the world, with highlights in Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin and Genoa. In Northern Ireland he has shown in group shows at the Ormeau Baths Gallery, Golden Thread Gallery, The Mac, Catalyst Arts and and the Naughton Gallery at Queen's University.