Publication Date
5-6-2024
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
First Advisor
Barnes, Michael
Second Advisor
Staikidis,Kryssi
Third Advisor
Nagata,Helen
Degree Name
M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)
Department
School of Art and Design
Disciplines
Fine Arts
Abstract
Dilara Miller’s work critique’s and reflects on the social/cultural effects of being a Turkish-American Muslim woman in today’s society. Through referencing antiquities and how they are presented today, she identifies patterns of hierarchies that exist in human history through an eco-feminist lens. Miller’s work reflects on the role of the artist and the historical testimony we leave behind; like her Girl Birds, she seeks to record her experiences within our Anthropocene as colored by mythic and Islamic teachings. Miller pulls from historic epochs to generate a foundation from which to examine our contemporary treatment of women as related to our current climate disaster. She centers women’s place within the domain of Abrahamic spirituality, as that experience has been historically rejected, despite women’s innate connection to life and the natural word. By retelling these dogmatic stories Miller invites the viewer to pose philosophical questions regarding the generational cycles we participate in. Miller’s work reimagines a world that values our sacred relationship with the Earth, her ecology, and our place within the universe.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Dilara, "Swine & Symphonies" (2024). Graduate Artistry Projects and Performances. 11.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-artistry/11
