My work explores how trauma is passed through generations, and how we might begin to recognise, unravel, and heal from it. I’m interested in the pivotal moments that shape us, often long before we’re even aware of them.
Through collage, photography, weaving, painting, and text, I build visual narratives from fragments, using whichever materials feel right for the story.
Writing is central to my process; my journal is my sketchbook where ideas are tested and shaped before they become physical works.
At the core of my practice is a question: what are we carrying, and is it still ours to hold? I want to create space for reflection — on family, class, identity, and how we move forward without passing our pain on.
Artist Statement
Bio
Mills is a multidisciplinary artist and curator based in Northumberland.
Her work explores intergenerational trauma, working-class identity, and inherited memory, often using collage, photography, text, and weaving to bring together personal and collective histories. She’s interested in pivotal moments — the kind that ripple through families and shape who we become.
Mills has exhibited across the UK and the USA, including group shows in London and New York. Her practice is rooted in community and activism, with past projects including a protest banner for Sunderland Art Week and contributions to We Also Fight Windmills, a touring exhibition raising awareness around mental health and the historic mistreatment of women.
Alongside her visual work, Mills runs Women Making Art — a platform that documents the work of women artists exhibiting across the UK. She is currently developing an independent gallery and studio in Berwick-upon-Tweed, creating space for new ways of working, showing, and making art.