Natalia Millman
My art practice delves deep into the realms of bittersweet, grief, and human resilience, reflecting my personal journey and observations. I engage with themes often left unspoken, like the intricacies of motherhood, the sting of loss, the realities of aging, migration, and the complexities of dementia.
My work is a dialogue about the intricate relationship between humans and nature, highlighting the contrasts and connections between natural harmony and human distress, as well as the cycles of growth, decay, and renewal.
I use symbolism of trees, body and forces of nature. In my creative process, I employ expressive brush strokes, destruction, burning, mending and the raw texture of materials to bring these themes to life.
My "Grief Letter" project is particularly close to my heart. It's a communal endeavor where people from around the world share their experiences of loss and grief. In this project, I respond to each letter individually through various media, creating a space for empathy, understanding, and collective healing. “Grief Letter” received support from the Arts Council England and will be developed into the holistic event featuring exhibition, performance and workshops in summer 2025.
My approach is intuitive, guided by my personal experiences and a deep sensitivity to the energies of nature and people. This leads to art that is rich in symbolism and emotional depth that explores and challenges fear, as the primal feeling. Fear of ageing, loss, death.
In my mixed media abstract paintings and sculptures, I explore physical decay, the theme of home, motherhood, belonging, the interplay between the human body and nature, continuity, flow and our innate need to connect with the natural world.
Most of the materials I use are found. I put these pieces together in the hope to repair, create something new, to give the object a new function. By incorporating elements like hair and body shapes, I aim to celebrate the beauty and dignity of ageing.
With my solo exhibition, “Vanishing Point,” I not only showcased my artistic journey but also reinforced my commitment to social causes, particularly through my association with Arts 4 Dementia.
Beyond personal expression, my art serves as a tool for raising awareness and fostering community engagement, as evident in the art classes I conduct for individuals affected by dementia and Ukrainian community. My art is about healing, empathy, and inspiration.
Profile
I am Ukrainian-born British conceptual artist. Working in a broad range of media, including photography, video, sculpture, installation and paint. I research the philosophy of loss, positive ageing, the transformative role of motherhood, the definition of memories and symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. My creative process incorporates research, observation and experimentation. I am process-led and think through making. I am interested in the connection between our physical and emotional selves, using different media to translate the subconscious into artwork. Some of my work is constructed from found objects which I give another life transforming their meaning, burnt materials, paint mixed with ash. I am honoured to work with Arts 4 Dementia - a leading UK charity that provides art opportunities to empower people living with dementia and their companions and to run local art workshops for people with dementia in collaboration with Herts Independent Living. In 2024, I became part of the new art collective at Collective Gallery Art, St Albans. In May 2024 I received a ACE grant that will help me develop the community engagement project “Letters to Forever” with exhibition launched in Summer 2025.
Education
1995 - 2000 BA Hons English and German Languages, Cherkasy State University, Ukraine
2003 - 2004 MSc Medical, Scientific and Technical Translation, Russian-English, Imperial College
2020 – 2022 Member of Studio Fridays
2023 -pr. Interior Design Certificate, KLC School of Design
Features & Publications
- National Bereavement Alliance, guest speaker, 2024
- Reimagine, feature article on Writing in Grief, 2024
- Lifting the Lid Festival 2023 online workshop “Grief letter”
- The Calm, Issue 1, Summer 2023
- The Purposeful Mayonnaise, Vol 3, Issue 1, June/July 2023.
- Women United Magazine, Summer 2023
- Art Seen by Gita Joshi Autumn edition, 2023
- B&W Photography Special Edition, Collect Art, Tbilisi
- Borrowed Time by Art.Earth
- The New Artist, Boomer Gallery Magazine, London
- Smart Artist Hub
- Tebbs Contemporary Art Gallery Featured Artist July 2021
- Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance blog post
- Better Together Artists Guest Artist
- The Stables in Exile Free Art Gallery Featured Artist October 2021
- The Two of Us Podcast
- 64 Million Artists Weekly challenge feature
Exhibitions
2024 The Living Theatre, Art Trail, Whitwell
2024 The Art of Grieving, Gallery 101, June
2024 Entranced Essence, Rupture Exhibit + Studio, April
2024 Willesden Gallery , January
2023 Southwark Park Gallery Open
2023 Wales Contemporary, Waterfront Gallery
2023 Wells Art Contemporary
2023 SOTA Art Fair, The LabE20
2023 House of Smalls, In Memory of
2023 Letchworth Open, Broadway Gallery
2023 New Wave, Spitalfields Studios, London July-September
2023 St Albans Art Trail, July
2023 St Albans Art Society Annual Exhibition, July
2023 Home, Exhibition organised by Herts Young Homeless, Collective Gallery, St Albans
2023 Mythical Woods, Stanton Guildhouse and Art from Heart, Cotsworld
2023 Winter, Open Gallery, Halifax
2023 Memory and Identity, Cista Arts online group shop
2022 Mixtape No.2 curated by Cultivate Gallery
2022 730 curated by Photobook Café and Original Magazine
2022 Studio Fridays Art Fair (October)
2022 Art without Boundaries Online exhibition
2022 St Albans Visual Art Festival, S Albans Cathedral
2022 Trauma and Healing, Come as you Are, Espacio Gallery, London
2022 The Art of Grieving, St Albans Museum Gallery
2021 Curating Futures Immaterial Virtual exhibition and collaboration
2021 Solo Exhibition Vanishing Point, The Crypt Gallery, London (6-11 October)
2021 Curator’s Salon Virtual Autumn Exhibition (Sept-Nov) featuring international artists
2021 St Albans Museum Gallery, a monthly residency of selected members from the Collective Gallery
2021 Flux Review Virtual Exhibition (August) connecting international artists
2021 Affordable Art Fair Battersea, representing Arts 4 Dementia (June)
2021 Body as Nature, Body as Self, Aghaevaprojects Open Space Exhibition, Norwich, exploring nature and human connection
2021 Spring Bounce Exhibition, Nude Tin Can Gallery, St Albans (May) local artists group show
2021 Worldwide-Instagram Group Exhibition, The Stable Gallery, Hampshire (April)
2021 Open Fragments, Pragmata Collective (March)exploring inclusivity, empathy and connection
2020 Power, Pride, Rebirth, Collective Art Gallery, St Albans (October) Local artists
group show
2020 BIG Art Showcase, Herts Visual Arts (July) Annual exhibition
2019 Capturing the Moment, Solo Exhibition, Radlett Centre, Hertfordshire (September)
Professional Organisations
A-N, Axis, Artquest, Artconnect, Herts Visual Artists Association
