Young’s practice fluctuates in a paradoxical state between chaos and premeditation. In an abstract expressionist fashion, the element of chance imbued in the artistic gesture plays a pivotal role in her production. Yet, it also conceals a component of chromatic order and thematic investigation. Young’s process revolves around a thorough research practice into color theory and an exploration of different cultural, social, and scientific fields, prompted by her constant endeavor to discover and represent the many facets of the world around us. Childhood trauma is also a key influence in her work, which often conveys the artist’s emotional state at the time of creation. Young works with a vast variety of media including acrylic, oil, pastel, sharpie, graphite, charcoal, oil stick, and colored pencil, amongst others.
Young's first solo show ‘Trials of Vision’ took place at Gillian Jason Gallery, London, during Frieze week, in October 2022. The show focused on Young’s stylistic evolution and personal growth, both as an artist and as a human being. Going through multiple “trials” to refine and perfect her practice, her paintings – or “visions” – finally reflect her confidence in having found her unique artistic voice. Circles are a recurring pattern in Milan’s canvases and represent the complex and introspective process that exists behind the creative gesture. “Going in circles”, a feeling shared by many, in Young’s case refers to her recurrent need to revisit, alter, and at times even completely dismantle the pictorial surface to be able to achieve the sought final product. Most works conceal hidden layers of previous experimentations, discarded or modified to attain the geometrical harmony, the chromatic strength, and the conceptual depth that makes Milan Young’s body of work one-of-a-kind.
Milan Young currently lives and works in Maryland, USA, and is represented by Gillian Jason Gallery. In 2021, Young took part in the group show FOR THE TL, DCentral Miami, FL, and was featured in Art Connect’s ‘Artist to Watch’ column. Young exhibited in the UK for the first time in May 2022 at the Eye of the Collector, London, where she sold out. The artist recently participated in GJG's inaugural Residency in Northern Italy, where she began painting for ‘Trials of Vision', her first solo show internationally. In January 2023, Young's work will be exhibited in Tel Aviv, Israel, with Sharon Golan Art Projects. The African-American artist is an advocate for emerging black women artists in the creative industry.
