millo at work

A few words about Orna

Orna Millo, born in Tel Aviv in 1951, has made Jerusalem her home and the site of her creative activity. Her many solo exhibitions include installations and performance art. The Israel Museum has hosted her one-woman “Drawings on the Death of My Mother” (1992) and her “Hester Panim” / “Concealment” performance art installation, for which she was awarded Special Recognition in the Adi Foundation‘s “Borders of Sanctity” competition (2002). She is also the recipient of the Shoshana Ish-Shalom Jerusalem Prize (1991). Her works can be found among the holdings of the Israel Museum and in many private collections. Orna has taught at Jerusalem’s School of Visual Theater (1987-1994), the Avni Institute of Art and Design (1995-2000), and Shenkar College, where she held the post of Senior Lecturer (1999-2000). From 2005-2012 she was a member of the “Agripas 12” Co-Operative Gallery in Jerusalem. Since 1977 she has been teaching small groups and leading workshops in her Jerusalem studio.

“Plastic art is a language that can be learned” - from Orna’s letter to a prospective student

I believe everyone can create art, if there is motivation. Creating a work of art is an enriching experience that brings you closer to your self. But this doesn’t mean that everyone who takes up art for pleasure, as a hobby, is an artist. It’s a long way from being an amateur to being an artist, and it requires a great deal of preparation. When I teach, I try to sense what is unique in each of my pupils, even if they are beginners; and it is that special quality that needs to be nurtured. It makes me proud when, at the end of a class, all the students’ final productions differ from one another, even if they’ve all been looking at the same model during the lesson. I believe that teaching the observation of nature, and teaching sketching and drawing from such observation, form the basis of good painting. Not that I believe in realistic painting in and of itself: I think a “good” painting is always an interpretation of what one sees. Even if there is a “correct” painting somewhere at the basis of any particular work, that isn’t the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to take something from your own special world view and pour it into the artistic act. Many people wouldn’t agree, but I do believe that plastic art is a language that can be learned, and it is that language that permits change and enables the game that makes one artist uniquely different from any other one. Even if you never become an artist, by studying art you become a better “consumer” of art and derive greater pleasure from experiencing it.



STUDIES

1972
B.A Literary Theroy and Art History, Tel Aviv University
1976
B.A Department of Art, Bezalel Academy of Art, Jerusalem

SELECTED ONE WOMAN SHOWS AND PERFORMANCES

1983
Ahuva Pincas Gallery, Tel Aviv
1984
Alon Gallery, Jerusalem
1987
Jack Gallery, New York City, Lamel Gallery, Bonn
1990
“Tamar & Judah” series, Jerusalem Artists House
1992
"Drawings on the Death of my Mother",Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1993
"Lengths", Sarah Conforti Gallery, Tel Aviv
1995
“Reflections” performance installation, Office in Tel Aviv Gallery
1996
“Meaning-Mean” painting, installation and salt performance, Janco Dada Museum, Ein Hod
1998
“Line-Width,” Nachshon Gallery, Kibbutz Nachshon
2000
“Be Come” paintings, installation and glass performance, Kibbutz Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
2002
“Hester Panim / Concealment” performance, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
2004
“Through," Tel Aviv Artists House and Office in Tel Aviv Gallery
2005
“Middle,” Agripas 12” Co-Operative Gallery, Jerusalem
2006
“Painting,” Agripas 12 Co-Operative Gallery, Jerusalem
2008
“Background and Figure,” Agripas 12 Co-Operative Gallery, Jerusalem
2009
“Something is Written There", Jerusalem Artists House
2010
“Work In Progress,” Agripas 12 Co-Operative Gallery, Jerusalem

SELECTED PERFORMANCES

1977,1978
“Ropes,” Jerusalem Theater and Tel Aviv Artists House
1995
“Salt Performance 1,” Office in Tel Aviv Gallery
1996
“Salt Performance 2,” Janco Dada Museum,  Ein Hod
2001
“Be Come” glass performance, Kibbutz Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
2002
“Hester Panim / Concealment” performance and installation, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
2004
“From Both Sides,” the Gallery in Kibbutz Be’eri

CATALOGUES AND BOOKS

1996
“Meaning-Mean,” catalogue of the exhibition at Janco-Dada Museum, Ein Hod
2000
“Be Come,” catalogue of the exhibition at the Kibbutz Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
2004
“Through,” catalogue of the exhibition at the Tel Aviv Artists House and Office in Tel Aviv Gallery
2009
“Artist’s Book - Ten Etchings for Ten Poems by Michal Govrin,” Jerusalem Print Workshop

PRIZES AND AWARDS

1992
Shoshana Ish-Shalom Jerusalem Prize
2001
Special Recognition in the Adi Foundation’s “Borders of Sanctity” Competition for the “Hester Panim / Concealment” performance