Diana Miller

The 'Goof Ball' uses silliness as a kind of camouflage, using humour, clumsiness and exaggeration to deflect attention from more vulnerable terrain. Constant jokes function as a bright distraction from self-doubt, shame or anxiety. Are these endless performance of lightness a form of freedom or are they keeping deeper feelings safely out of view?

Diana Miller's process of layering is central, both conceptually and materially. In some of the works, the underlying image remains visible; in others, it is softened through glazing or almost entirely concealed beneath dense surface layers. This process mirrors the ways we construct our own facades through life, consciously or not. The foregrounds consist of compositions the artist has created, evolved, and revisited - a visual lexicon developed over time through an elaborate, multifaceted shape-making practice. Like much of her past work, these paintings carry a distinct graphic sensibility, influenced by her background in graphic design and a passion for distilling form.