SASHA MILLER

Artist Statement

I am fascinated by human complexity: by the physical body, which is constantly placed under scrutiny in our society, and the emotional connections that shape our sense of self. As a multidisciplinary artist, I employ painting and printmaking as tools to convey the intimacy, vulnerability, and resilience that emerge as we navigate through our experiences and relationships. Through a detail-oriented practice, guided by close collaboration with my subjects, my paintings embrace the physicality of skin, embodying reality, while my prints harness the tangibility of memory and familial connection. 

 

In every painting, my intention is to capture women openly and honestly. Inspired by contemporary artists such as Emma Hopkins and Aleah Chapin, my work includes details that are often labeled as imperfections. I am not interested in creating objects of flattery. Instead, I want to portray my subjects faithfully, capturing their individuality, while simultaneously creating a series of work that increases representation of the female body. According to Carla Rice, a Canadian professor and author, “most women, regardless of their appearances or difference(s), [see] their bodies as measures of their value and worth as women, and even further, as integral to their very sense of self.”¹ This series, Rachael, portrays blemishes, cellulite, and stretch marks. These details are often the source of insecurity and are given the power to consume individual identity. By taking the time to include rather than conceal each marking, I want to reveal their significance as indicators of time, resilience, and individuality. 

 

Formally, these paintings are constructed with intent. I work predominantly on natural wood panels; the grain, which remains visible when the paintings are seen up close, heightens their texture and mimics the intricate patterning of skin. Unlike my previous work, which consisted of portraits encompassing the entire figure, this series does not include the subject’s (Rachael) face. Rachael’s identity is integral to this work—our mutual trust and collaboration made the confidence and intimacy of these images possible. In this instance, however, the omission of her face provides an opportunity for viewers to identify more directly with the markings that exist on her body without being distracted by observing her face, which the eye is naturally drawn to. Although they are unique to her body, they are also familiar. Intentionally subversive, these raw depictions assign renewed value to reality.

 

My paintings embody individuality and human connection, themes which are also echoed through my printmaking practice. The piece, The Tale of the Foxglove Fairy and the Morgensonne, recontextualizes these concepts through a personal narrative. Twenty years ago, my grandmother was forced to leave her home in Switzerland, and, in response to the grief this event induced, she wrote a story to share with her grandchildren. Narrated through the perspective of her ceramic foxglove fairy, it was both a collection of precious memories, as well as a text saturated by personal longing.

 

In collaboration with my family, I translated my grandmother’s words and planned a new version of this book. Removing the boundary of language, this story can be shared with the members of my family who do not understand Swiss German. Created using the processes of letterpress and intaglio—printmaking skills that are rooted in my family’s history—the pages of this book are heavily detailed. The tedious process of hand-setting lead type forced me to slow down and consider each word; the assembled filigree forms enhance focal points; the intricate hand-drawn etchings present reinterpretations of the original imagery; and the photo-etchings convey direct evidence of my family’s presence within the walls of the Morgensonne.

 

For my grandmother, this story was an outlet for grief and the preservation of memories. Recreating it allowed me to reflect on her history, while also contemplating the weight these experiences had in shaping my sense of self. Therefore, this piece is both an expression of intergenerational connection, as well as physical evidence of the role our past has in shaping our identities. Every human being is affected by their experiences, both physically and emotionally. These indications of mortality and vulnerability are not synonymous with weakness, rather, they are markings of time, resilience and individual identity. 

 

 

¹ Carla Rice, Becoming Women: The Embodied Self in Image Culture, (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2014), 12.