MILAN YOUNG
Name: Milan Young
Age: 25
Birthplace: Clinton, Maryland, USA
Home: Washington, DC, USA
Discipline: Painting
Stuck in Limbo, 2023, courtesy of the artist and Gillian Jason Gallery
What are the main topics you deal with in your practice?
As an abstract expressionist, I focus on what I feel is very important to me in the moment of creation, trying to channel all of my thoughts and emotions onto the canvas. I explore different cultural, social and scientific fields, depending on my drive throughout the creative process. One topic that is close to my heart and I investigate in my practice is the lack of diversity in the art world. I want to show the world that Black women are powerful and awesome.
How do you define your artistic research in three words?
Chaotic, intricate, intuitive.
What images and spaces do you want to create through your work?
My production is informed by careful research into colour theory, which not only revolves around the idea of a balanced chromatic palette but can also take on metaphorical meanings. For example, black symbolizes happiness for me, and by including it in my canvases, I want to redirect how people think of this colour and how they interact with it. The writings I have in my works are an intuitive and spontaneous reflection of my thoughts. Overall, I like to describe my work as ‘controlled chaos’, a concept that shaped my childhood and that is reflected in my overarching aesthetic.
Where and how do you find poetry?
I find my poetry in everything that surrounds me, including books, conversations, movies, but also in what exists within, every thought and feeling that pops into my mind, has to go on the canvas.
In your view, what does being an artist mean in today’s world?
I like the saying ‘never compromise your art’, and I guess being an artist today is ‘dying’ by your artistic vision, being loyal to it and respecting art as a whole.