Rhian K-Millar West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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I trained in theatre design at Central St Martins and have worked within the creative arts for over 25 years in fields as diverse as making carnival costumes to lead designer on a Bafta winning computer game. My work explores themes such as mental health and politics through a masquerade/ carnival lens.

My work is heavily influenced by my career within the carnival and costume design sector in both the UK and the Caribbean. I often use references of traditional characters and archetypes juxtaposed against symbols of Britishness to explore the tensions i feel as a British woman of Caribbean heritage, a mother and a creative.

Through collage, paint and textiles i try to address my frustrations at feeling muted and pigeonholed within my family and wider society and use my work to explore my role as a the caregiver, the peace keeper and the 'sensitive' one which fight against my desire to find my own voice in a sea of much louder more academic voices. The colour in my work is directly informed by my years in Trinidad working within the mas camps creating 1000's of vibrant silk painted and batiked costumes when i worked for various designers for the Trinidad carnival in my 20's. This was a time of creative freedom and expression which features heavily in my pieces.

There are strong Caribbean influences within my work such as 'Call and Response' as seen within Kaiso and elements of Traditional masquerade which has long been used a vehicle for social commentary. I explore topics such as Grief, Abuse, Politics and Gender and Trauma using character archetypes, text and colour to visually create a voice.

I would sum up my work in the words of Tony Hall 'its Dance and Fight..Dance and Fight'