Floods, fires, droughts; what is the place of visual art in our engagement with the climate crisis? How do we move beyond the sublime, the elegiac, and the ‘grand’ in visual representations of Arctic regions further problematized by colonial histories of scientific expedition and extractive resource depletion in areas now inundated with tourism?
Changes we are making on a global scale to our environment are accelerating in locations where I have recently made work. In both Canada and Norway, I have focused on visualizing precarious landscapes on the verge of radical change—exploring ideas of time, cycles, and the hubris of ‘making our mark’.
Laura Millard, Lost in Fog, watercolour and chalk on photo mounted on panel, 33 × 48.3 cm (13 x 19 in), 2025.
Laura Millard, Onlooker, watercolour and chalk on photo mounted on panel, 33 × 48.3 cm (13 x 19 in), 2025.
Member since: 2023
Number of exhibitions at the gallery: 1
Tell us a story about Red Head: I had long admired Red Head Gallery and the exhibitions I’d seen there, but it was Sarah Kernohan’s show Snow-blind in 2023 that spurred me to return to the gallery repeatedly and then engage in conversations about applying to join as a member. That show really blew my mind. Still one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen anywhere, ever. Love that work. The friendliness of the gallery, the people in the space, it struck me as truly special. And it is!
Just after joining the collective, I learned of the exchange show Red Head was doing with plan.d. produzentengalerie in Dusseldorf. What? We were straight into a group show in Germany and I was amazed by the organization and energy of the collective.
I have had one exhibition at Red Head and it was a great experience, leading to other opportunities. Getting to know the members as has been a joy and the entire experience has been enriching on every level.
Laura Millard has exhibited in artist-run, commercial and public galleries across Canada and internationally; including Where Where Exhibition Space, Beijing, China, Doris McCarthy Gallery, Glenbow Museum Calgary, Sookmyung Women’s University, Korea, St. Lawrence University Art Gallery, New York and at the AGO in Toronto. She received a BFA from NSCAD University Art and her MFA from Concordia University. Millard has done several artists residencies including the Banff Centre, NSCAD University, Brucebo Studio in Sweden and Red Gate in Beijing, Dawson City, Yukon and The Arctic Circle Residency, Svalbard.
