Street artist Fintan Magee is incredible at what he does, so much so he has been described as ‘Australia’s Banksy’ by many. The only difference is Banksy is anonymous, while he’s not. It’s his gigantic murals adorning buildings in Australia and abroad that has brought him this fame.
Most of Magee’s art themes revolve around environmental issues. For example, his solo show held at Backwoods Gallery in Melbourne, Australia in 2015, depicted the Brisbane floods that he himself experienced in 2011. His works also touch upon issues like climate change, the migrant crisis, transition, waste and consumption, and much else.
Magee, who was born in Lismore in New South Wales and grew up in Brisbane, Australia, is proud of his mixed ancestry. He inherited his artistic genes from his father, a sculptor, and mother, an architect. However, his art is drawn from his personal experience that explores the urban environment.
From his childhood, he was interested in art and earned a reputation as a graffiti writer. He pursued his dream of becoming an artist by obtaining a fine arts degree and settling in Sydney, Australia. His love for large-scale murals can be traced back to his father’s native Northern Ireland, where, at a very young age, he was profoundly inspired by the political murals he saw there. The reason why his public artworks appear socialist in nature and convey political and social viewpoints.
Although Magee started out painting on isolated, abandoned, and broken corners of the city, today his mammoth murals adorn many major cities of the world, such as Atlanta, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Dublin, Jordan, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Moscow, Rome, Vienna, among others.
One of Magee’s murals Felix Baumgartner in Brisbane received national acclaim. It depicted the daredevil skydiver who jumped to the Earth from a helium balloon up in the stratosphere. His most recent solo exhibitions include at Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles, USA, Mathgoth Gallery in Paris, France, and Blackwoods Gallery in Melbourne, Australia.
Magee’s works have featured in many publications and media. His works enjoy a viewership of over 113,000 on Instagram alone.
Fintan Magee