Haven

Agnes Harry Mills

Haven


Iowa City, IA, United States
2022

9 x 3 x 3 Inches

Visit website > 
Instagram >

This work is inspired by my journey in a new country. The struggle between the desire to fit in and the need to stand out. The vessel is a representation of me and the questions I’ve asked myself: “How do I do this?”, “am I still any good?”, “why did I even come here?”, “Why is there an invisible standard I can’t seem to meet?”. A war waged in my mind and more than once I thought about going back. But one verse would not stop bugging me “…treasure in earthen vessels…”. So, I was challenged to look within and ask different questions “What do I have and what can I do with it now?”.

Made by electroforming, the hours spent on each piece became a meditative experience. The time that I spent speaking Truth to myself, renewing my mind, and shifting my focus as I layered on and took off wax. Finished mainly by heat coloring, in different shapes and sizes, and with a rather raw and unrefined finish, they remind me that I am not perfect and do not need to be.

Bio
A Ghanaian-Nigerian graduate student at the University of Iowa. Through my art, I seek to show the simplicity and complexity of life; merging varying elements to create harmony. Influenced by African prints, the use of patterns, colors, and textures inspires pieces that people can interact with and remember through their senses of sight and touch.

Scroll to Top