My artistic practice is rooted in intuition and transformation—an ongoing dialogue between destruction and creation, fragility and resilience. I believe in a universal energy that connects all things, and through my work, I try to trace that thread across personal, communal, and ecological narratives. Whether I’m working with drawing, scent, sound, or sculptural installation, my focus is always on the entanglement of grief, memory, and growth within the human experience.
At the centre of my work is curiosity about how we carry loss—how we break, reshape, and emerge not unchanged, but transformed. I often work with natural and found materials: earth, feathers, stone, wood, and fragments of objects left behind. These elements are reconstructed into new forms, carrying the quiet weight of time and decay. I’m drawn to muted tones—greys, greens, deep blues, and maroons—that reflect the soft, slow rhythm of mourning and regeneration. For me, art is not about perfection; it’s about presence, resonance, and the traces we leave behind.
My most recent and expansive work, Letters to Forever (2024–2025), brings these ideas into a deeply immersive and collective space. Developed over four years and supported by Arts Council England, the installation is a response to 200 letters shared with me by people processing grief. Each letter is a deeply personal testimony, and each one has shaped the work profoundly.
At the heart of the project is a set of 200 intuitive drawings, each created in response to a single letter. These drawings are displayed in a delicate, central structure that echoes both the intimacy and vulnerability of mourning. Elsewhere in the space, visitors encounter a range of sensory experiences: sound pieces meditating on loss, a sound bath exploring healing frequencies, and a composition that transforms text into music. Sculptural elements include a suspended printed textile, a specially commissioned scent, and a length of hand-knitted paper spun from the printed letters themselves.
The installation also reaches beyond the walls of the building. Outside, an intimate ring of pre-loved chairs invites quiet reflection, while engraved plaques—subtle, poetic interventions—rest gently among existing gravestones. A live performance further expands the experience, blending letters, movement, sound, video, and live readings into a ritual of presence and witnessing.
Community is at the heart of Letters to Forever. The project includes five public workshops, co-led by local art and grief practitioners, focusing particularly on the Ukrainian community and companions of people living with dementia. Activities range from mindful clay and drawing to writing and somatic movement—each one offering a tender space for creative storytelling and shared expression.
My practice has always been grounded in the physical act of making—shaping, stitching, tearing, assembling—processes that echo the emotional labour of healing. I don’t create to decorate; I create to hold what can’t be said, to witness what aches, to honour what remains. Letters to Forever is not just an artwork—it’s a space for grief to breathe, for memory to settle, and for transformation to begin.
If this work speaks to you, I invite you to explore more on my website and follow along on Instagram for updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and future exhibitions. I welcome collaboration, connection, and conversation—please feel free to reach out.
info@nataliamillmanart.com
www.nataliamillmanart.com
Instagram:@nataliamillmanart
