Steve Miller

Steve Miller is a multimedia artist who has experimented with painting, drawing, printmaking, books and film. Miller’s work explores the various ways science and technology can influence culture. He is credited with being one of the pioneers of the SciArt movement. Miller however, disagrees, noting that the movement garnered momentum even before it had a name. He credits the Experiments in Art and Technology of the 1960s and 70s, as well as the explorations of earlier artists into the visual components of science as major influences in his own works.[1]

Born in Buffalo, NY, Miller studied at Middlebury College before moving to New York City in the late 1970s. Over his longstanding career, Miller has experimented with various media and artistic messages. However, his works all encompass themes of science, technology, nature, or some combination of those elements. He notes that interaction between art and science can lead to a shift in focus and perspective:

"When art and science intersect, it changes the context, beefs up the scale, and alters responses to imagery in unexpected ways. Images of the smallest of things become images you can get lost in. Scientists may not need or necessarily want that kind of scale or distraction. They're making science; they're looking for specific solutions. I'm making art and trying to communicate with a different audience, and scale is just one of the ways I try to do that."[2]

Scientific imagery is a common stable in many of Miller’s pieces through his use of x-rays, Rorschach blots, DNA and MRI. He has oftentimes repurposed these images to highlight their beauty, but also to tell a larger story.

After spending time in Brazil in 2013, Miller created a surfboard series, using x-rays to capture the internal beauty and structure of various Amazon animals. The decision to place these images on a surfboard correlates with Brazil’s massive surfing culture, as well as Miller’s own prior history in shaping windsurfing boards.

A 2018 group show at the Cross Mackenzie Gallery in Washington D.C., entitled Stratum, featured works from Miller’s series The Health of the Planet. The series explores the threat humans pose on the delicate balance of the Amazonian rainforest and its ecosystems. Miller uses x-ray images of native flora and fauna from the area, and layers them with various screen prints and paint. The screen prints include satellite maps of the bulldozed logging roads. Miller’s exploration forces viewers to consider the exploitation of the area’s natural resources, and how this hinders the beauty of the area’s natural inhabitants.[3]

Miller has been featured in numerous publications, including The Musee Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, The Guardian, The Independent and Art Daily. His work has been exhibited in over 50 solo exhibitions in addition to countless group shows. His pieces have been featured in spaces such as Arte Rio, the National Academy of Sciences, Nina Freudenheim Gallery and the Burchfield Penney.[4]

To learn more about Miller’s extensive body of work, visit his website: stevemiller.com.